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News Release from: The Forum of Private Business
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 01 December 2006
UK review of EU legislation is not
enough
UK's Forum of Private Business said the Davidson Review into EU legislation creating burdensome red tape for the UK's SMEs does not go far enough.
The Forum of Private Business (FPB) says the Davidson Review into EU legislation creating burdensome red tape in the UK does not go far enough The Review proposes action to cut the burden of red tape in areas such as consumer sales, financial services, transport and waste
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 13 Sep 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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But the FPB believes cuts to, and simplification of, current regulations will only go so far.
Chief executive of the FPB, Nick Goulding, said the Review must not be the last word in cutting red tape.
"The Davidson Review has highlighted several areas where needless and overly-complicated red tape is proving a burden.
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That is an encouraging sign, but efforts must not end there." The FPB, which represents 25,000 small and medium-sized firms in the UK, disagrees with the conclusion of the Review, that over-implementation may not be as widespread in the UK as is sometimes claimed.
The Review did say existing regulatory burdens existed due to gold-plating, double-banking and regulatory creep in the past.
The FPB submitted a written response to the Davidson Review, highlighting specific examples of 'gold-plating' of regulations in the food and construction sectors.
Goulding said that these were areas of particular difficulty for the FPB's members.
"Over-implementation of EU legislation is having a significant impact on UK businesses.
The Food Standards Authority (FSA) and the Health and Safety Executive are two of the worst offenders when it comes to over-implementing regulations." The FPB supports the Review's suggestion that the FSA should encourage local authorities to update guidance material for food businesses.
The Review also calls for stronger measures to help prevent future over-implementation of European law brought into effect in the UK.
It has stated that government departments should be 'required to justify maintaining existing national standards higher than the European minimum'.
Goulding said that would encourage competitiveness.
"If the UK's smaller businesses want to compete with their European counterparts, it is crucial that our standards are in line with other member states." The Review also said that 'UK post-implementation reviews should be timed to allow departments to compare implementation with other member states'.
Goulding wants action to prevent more unnecessary red tape at an earlier stage.
"What we want is earlier viewing of EU legislation, which could be achieved if stakeholder groups were incorporated earlier in the legislative process.
The FPB understands that, throughout the progression of implementation, the earlier that consultation is sought, the more the impact on businesses is lessened." * About The Forum of Private Business background - The Forum of Private Business (FPB) was formed in 1977 and is a pressure group fighting on behalf of private businesses.
The FPB represents approximately 25,000 UK-based businesses, which employ in excess of 600,000 people, and is a powerful lobbying voice in both the UK and the European Union.
The FPB, as the only full UK member of UEAPME - the organisation that represents small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe - is the most prominent advocate of UK SMEs in Brussels and has a track record of positively affecting legislation prior to its introduction in the UK.
The FPB also provides a range of business services aimed at increasing member efficiency and profitability.
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