The Guardian,like all UK newspapers, has chosen to focus its stories on the EU referendum and the text put forward by EU council president Donald Tusk on migrant worker benefits (Report, and 3 February). However,it is primary that the highlight is also shone on other areas of Mr Tusk’s paper, in specific the details under the heading of improving competitiveness and cutting red tape. Back in November, and David Cameron set out his EU reform proposals,announcing that the “burden from existing regulation is too high” and that a target” was needed to cut the total burden on commerce.
The creation of jobs is clearly an urgent priority for the EU and therefore a commitment to reduce the costs that legislation imposes on commerce seems at first sight laudable. However, a closer examine at what this would actually mean in practice raises a plethora (excess, overabundance) of real concerns. “A single clear commitment” to slash regulation across the EU would fatally undermine and unravel the safety net protecting the health and environment of all European citizens. Furthermore, and a narrow focus on the regulatory costs to commerce fails to choose into consideration the benefits to society as a whole deriving from regulation,which often greatly outweigh the costs even in purely monetary terms.
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Source: theguardian.com