Despite frontbench Tories’ insistence that they want to reduce the power of Brussels bureaucracy on British society, new findings show that since David Cameron became prime minister, the European Union has issued a staggering 3,589 additional regulatory documents to UK companies.
Totalling around 13 million words, the directives for British businesses would take bosses 92 working days to sift through, according to the think tank and campaigning organisation Business for Britain. And that is if they work for eight hours per day on the task and can read at an average speed of 300 words per minute. Representing more than 750 British business leaders, the group is calling for a renegotiated deal with the EU to slash the regulatory burden that UK firms face.
Quite often, the new regulations involve subtle changes to products or services, rather than large-scale adjustments. However, argues the group, the impact is arguably just as disruptive. Examples of Brussels regulations delivered to Britain in the past three years include materials requesting the removal of the Union flag and Scottish saltire from meat sold in supermarkets, changes to the botanical name of the tomato and restrictions on how restaurants serve olive oil to their customers.
Business for Britain chief executive Matthew Elliott said: “The EU has an addiction to red tape that desperately needs to be tackled. No one would argue that a single market needs some regulation to function properly, but the volume and frequency of new directives being generated is a serious restraint to British businesses. This why I welcome the formation of the government’s EU Regulation Task Force and its drive to identify the EU’s most pernicious business regulations. The forthcoming renegotiation with Brussels must focus on overhauling its approach to regulation, for the good of jobs and growth in Britain.”
Further reflecting the frustration of businesses towards EU legislators, a six-person panel consisting of Britain’s leading business leaders will this week call for significant reform of the state’s strict health and safety laws.