The European Commission's regulation package needs to be bolder and give more representation to local governments says UK Conservative Leader
Cllr Gordon Keymer has spoken out on behalf of his ECR Group, following ongoing debates about EU regulation in CoR plenaries in June and July.
According to Cllr Keymer, the ambitions of the Juncker Commission i do not go far enough in achieveing an appropriate regulation package for the EU, undermined by "excessive detail, bureaucracy and unrealistic deadlines". Below, is Cllr Keymer's full statement.
"The EU is at a cross roads. Our citizens are faced with economic challenges which make their daily lives difficult. They expect their elected representatives to act. However, we will not be able to address the challenges our citizens face if EU legislation, which has precedence over the legislations produced back home, is not fit for purpose. EU legislation is sometimes burdensome and costly to implement: the German Better Regulation Council estimates that at least half, if not 60% of regulatory costs that local businesses face in Germany are generated by EU legislation.
"We need to address this. Therefore, I warmly welcome the Commissions efforts to improve EU regulation, something that the CoR has championed for over a decade. In particular, I would like to welcome the recent better regulation package but I deeply regret that it was not bold enough. As the ECR Group, we would have liked to see greater European localism in the package.
"We of course very much welcome that the Commission has explicitly referred to territorial impact assessments in the better regulation toolbox and has noted that the CoR will be part of the Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT) platform. However, we regret that the Commission is putting the CoR into the same marginal camp as trade unions and businesses. It does not make sense to me to have a debate on what is and what is not working without having a representative of the level of government that actually implements most of these legislations at the heart of EU decision-taking.
"Good intentions are sometimes undermined by poor execution. The Commission recently launched a consultation exercise on the very important circular economy package: quite properly it allowed a three month period for responses…including the months of July and August!
"Some EU regulation is essential to build the Single Market and ensure a level-playing field. Don’t let it be undermined by excessive detail, bureaucracy and unrealistic deadlines."
Follow the links for more information about the ECR's views on regulation or the work Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) Commission, which looks primarily at these issues.