Commission slashes paperwork to boost economy 

The plan comes as a follow-up to a Better Regulation Package adopted by the Commission in November 2006 (EurActiv 15/11/06), which set a new target of reducing administrative costs for business by 25% by 2012. The Commission says that this could provide a €150 billion boost to the European economy. 

The target must still be approved by member states, when they gather for the Spring 2007 European Council, but, in a show of political will, the Commission has decided to take action immediately, with ten concrete measures to reduce paperwork for farmers, transport companies, small food businesses and information-society enterprises. 

Industry and Enterprise Commissioner Günter Verheugen said: "With a first strike we can already get well underway and reduce burdens by €1.3 billion." 

Some MEPs, consumer groups, NGOs and trade unions have expressed concern that the Commission's "purely business-driven" efforts to reduce regulations could lead to a drop in safety and environmental standards, but Commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger said: "This is not about the level of safety in whatever area concerned – pharmaceutical legislation, social rights, environment or transport – it is aimed at removing redundant, obsolete requirements, which harm the effectiveness of such standards."