Malcolm Harbour MEP, Conservative Internal Market Spokesman, welcomed new plans to simplify EU rules and cut red tape. "Our 1999 Manifesto made better regulation and proper impact assessment one of its central policies" he said;

"We've been keeping up strong pressure on the Commission to take impact assessment seriously. We are naturally pleased to see that these ideas are finally gaining momentum. We will be pressing the Commission to make sure that assessments are thorough, independent and business focused. We particularly welcome these plans to tackle gold plating - an area where the UK has an appalling record. We also want the European Parliament to agree an audit on its own amendments. Socialist MEPs are already resisting this idea but we are determined to push it through".

Malcolm Harbour MEP

One of my priorities is to visit local firms and see how red tape is affecting their ability to create new jobs. I am constantly finding new bureaucratic obstacles being placed in their way. As a former sales director of Rover I understand the constraints placed on our local business and the bureaucratic and inflexible way that the UK enforces regulations. Companies should be spending their time developing new products and markets and creating jobs, not filling in forms or collecting taxes for the Government.

The Conservative Parliamentary Team in Europe and Westminster is lifting its fight against red tape into a higher gear. We must stop this attack on innovation, which has seen a tide of new regulations under this Government. Every business opinion survey now puts red tape as the biggest business problem. We have now established a special panel of experts to identify ways of reducing bureaucracy and streamlining the rules which currently restrain business. The West Midlands MEPs will play a key role in tackling EU regulations and forcing the Commission to assess their impact on business. We are determined to make real progress on this issue and want to know about the regulations that are affecting you. Please fill in our on line survey and tell us your businesses difficulties regarding red tape. Then we can continue to work hard on your behalf.

Below is a link to the pamphlet 'Reversing the Drivers of Regulation - The European Union'. It outlines how the Conservatives will tackle the vast swathes of red tape emerging from the European Union.

Reversing the Regulation....more>>

Services Directive Article....more>>