Nieuwe maatregelen om EU-wetgeving eenvoudiger te maken (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Economics Ministers on Thursday (25 November) launched a new bid to cut EU red tape in a drive to make the regulatory environment in Europe easier for business.

Meeting in Brussels for a competitiveness council, ministers agreed to simplify existing regulations in several areas, including environment, statistics, internal market, corporate law, social policy and health.

They also agreed to scrap about 100 draft laws in the pipeline and subject any new proposals to a "rigorous impact assessment".

The simplification drive reflects determination both by the Dutch Presidency and the Barroso Commission to improve Europe's business environment and boost Europe's competitiveness.

Commission President José Manuel Durao Barroso has put the EU's so-called Lisbon agenda - its goal of becoming the most competitive economy in the World by 2010 - at the top of his priority list.

Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen also identified the fight against EU bureaucracy as a key priority for his term in the Brussels executive, saying he hoped it would become his "personal trademark over the next five years".

Chemical warfare

Ministers also discussed the draft proposal on the evaluation of chemicals in the EU - a highly controversial topic.

A statement from the Dutch Presidency said that Member States differed sharply and "further work is needed, especially on the subject of legal clarification".

The statement also expressed concern over the impact on small businesses of the draft regulation, which requires companies to register certain chemicals and carry out safety checks.