1. New Open Europe research finds that EU regulation has cost UK economy £124 billion since 1998; UK laws are on average around 2.5 times more cost effective than EU laws |
Open Europe last week published the most comprehensive study to date on the costs of regulation to the UK economy since 1998. Based on over 2,300 of the Government's own impact assessments, Open Europe has found that regulation has cost the UK economy £176 billion since 1998. Of this amount, £124 billion, or 71 percent, had its origin in EU legislation. The cost of regulation in 2009 stands at £32.8 billion. Of this 59 percent, or £19.3 billion, stems from EU legislation. Since 2005, when the UK Government launched its 'better regulation' agenda, the cost of regulation has doubled - although both the Government and the EU Commission have taken some positive steps to address overly burdensome laws. The research also estimates the average benefit/cost ratio of EU regulations at 1.02, and UK regulations at 2.35. In other words, for every £1 of cost, EU regulations introduced since 1998 have only delivered £1.02 of benefits, meaning that on average it is 2.5 times more cost effective to regulate nationally than it is to regulate via the EU. Following the publication of Open Europe's report, some argued that the exercise was futile, because UK and EU laws are not comparable and Whitehall would have regulated some issues anyway in the absence of the EU. (Economist: Charlemagne blog, 31 March) It is true that the EU often produces regulations, the benefits of which are hard to quantify, such as environmental or health and safety laws. It is also true that the EU and member states sometimes regulate different parts of the economy. However, importantly, there are also a huge number of areas where the EU and UK share power, and where laws are therefore comparable, to a lesser or greater extent. What's more, the Lisbon Treaty codifies a new category of so-called 'shared competence', further blurring the line between national and EU power, for example in social policy, financial services (via internal market legislation), environment, energy, consumer protection and transport. In these areas, a comparison between UK and EU laws is not only appropriate, but also essential, as one of the central questions when discussing EU policy must always be: at what level of government is it most cost effective and most democratic to legislate? Crucially, our research reveals that in areas of shared competence, such as environmental policy, financial services and agriculture, EU regulations tend to generate higher costs, relative to the benefits, than UK laws. A discrepancy is not surprising, given that EU laws are one-size-fits all solutions which, by definition, cannot fully account for member states' individual circumstances. In addition, since it is very difficult to change EU laws once they've been agreed - as it requires agreement amongst 27 member states and the European Parliament - these laws can continue to generate heavy and unnecessary costs year after year. Our research therefore provides further evidence that, when feasible, it is better to legislative as close as possible to the citizen. To read the report in full click here: To read the press release click here: Please leave your comments on our blog: |
| 2. UK's top judge: Lisbon Treaty will have a "significant impact" on criminal cases in Britain |
The country's most senior judge, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, has warned of the increasing power that both the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the EU's Court of Justice have over British law. He also warned that changes brought about by the Lisbon Treaty will have a "significant impact" on criminal cases in the UK. (Independent Telegraph, 2 April) The Strasbourg-based ECHR falls outside the realm of the EU, although, under the Lisbon Treaty, the EU as a whole is formally obliged to accede to the European Convention of Human Rights, which the Strasbourg court was established to uphold. Lord Judge noted that this creates the prospect of overlap and confusion with the EU's European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg. "The [EU's] European Court of Justice is beginning to acquire jurisdiction over matters that would normally be regarded as matters not for Luxembourg but for Strasbourg," he said. (Lord Judge's speech) Lord Judge's second point concerning the EU was that, "The Treaty of Lisbon has brought criminal justice matters to the core of the EU and with it the jurisdiction of the Luxembourg court." This means that if the UK does 'opt in' to new EU justice and home affairs legislation "decisions of the Luxembourg court on issues arising out of the Treaty of Lisbon, even to the extent that they involve criminal matters, would become binding on us all." He concluded, "The development of the European Union, and the extended jurisdiction of the European court in criminal matters, will have a significant impact domestically. Twenty years down the line, where will we be?" Please leave your comments on our blog: |
Comment:
We already know that the Communista doesn't worry about money because they just raise taxes, and when that doesn't work they nip off to the IMF to borrow some more. But did you know how much, who got it, where they spent it, and who will have to pay back that debt of over £1.3 TRILLION?
Who supports Labour Madness, and who supports Conservative and LibDem Madness, which drives in the same direction as the Labour Party on Europe? (Is there anything else)?
Who supports mass immigration, a Human Rights Act, which is intentionally driving the rest of us mad whilst making us jobless, penniless, in debt for 1000 years, under-educated, under cared for in health, unable to heat our homes, unable to speak in our own country without thinking whether the PC Brigade are out in force, unable to send our kids to a school without wondering if he or she will come back with a Communist implant along with Fascist orders to report their own parents if they might happen to oppose the Communist Regime, and who supports thugs who throw hammers and darts at innocent people to stop them protesting against the Madness?
Well it's the LibLabCon, Searchlight, UAF, Militant, Socialist Workers Party, Unite Union, Teachers Unions, TUC, all the Labour Councillors, all the Conservative and LibDem and Labour MP's, and of course the media, Bill Bragg, Bob Crow, and the muppet students who they all get to rally behind them with their sick Communist desire to Break Britain, that's who.
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