'Don't Goldplate EU Law' Says MEP

5.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 9th Dec 2003

Chris Huhne MEP with a map of Eastleigh

Hampshire MEP Chris Huhne warned last week that the zealotry of Whitehall was as much a threat to local businesses as badly drafted EU law.

Speaking at the Europe Briefing organised by the Ordnance Survey at their HQ in Southampton, Mr Huhne said that one of the biggest disasters in recent public policy - the closure of small abattoirs up and down the country- had been due to Whitehall.

'The key point is that Whitehall usually has wide discretion about how it puts the objectives of an EU directive into British law, and it often adds in requirements of its own that can be deeply damaging. This goldplating must stop' said Mr Huhne. (Picture available of Mr Huhne with senior staff at OS HQ).

'The worst example in my time as an MEP was the directive on the veterinary inspection of abattoirs. In the UK, we insisted that abattoirs should have a vet in attendance at all times, and that each abattoir should pay for that cost. Small abattoirs could not afford it, and closed.

'Other countries that also insisted on full time inspections spread the cost over all livestock so that there was a payment per head, which did not disadvantage small slaughter-houses. We shot ourselves in the foot' said Mr Huhne. 'That was down to the then Ministry of Agriculture and the Treasury'.

'Generally, if MEPs are alerted early enough to problems, we can get amendments to EU Commission proposals that can help in making them workable and sensible' said Mr Huhne. 'But the monitoring of Whitehall in implementing directives by MPs at Westminster needs to be strengthened to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and costs'.

Mr Huhne, who was named MEP of the year in 2002 for his work amending proposals from the EU Commission to lift the burdens on small business, said that the Liberal Democrats would campaign this year on tough new measures to improve EU business regulation in the single market.

'I was proud to introduce for the first time in EU law sunset clauses that remove the power to regulate after four years, and force a review of the Commission's activity. We want much greater use of sunset clauses to ensure that unnecessary regulation is taken off the statute book.

'We also propose an independent assessment of the impact of all proposals by the EU Commission and of amendments by the parliament, so that key policy-makers understand the full consequences of their suggestions. At present, impact assessments are far too skimpy.

'Regulation can be beneficial to business - for example, the establishment of the gsm mobile phone standard in europe has given us a world-beating industry where our mobile phones work virtually everywhere. By contrast, there are sixteen competing systems in the United States, and you can arrive in a new city and find that your mobile is incompatible.

'But regulation must be light, targeted, and work with the grain of the market' said Mr Huhne.

Ends