BETTER REGULATION: COUNCIL AND INDUSTRY AT ODDS OVER PRIORITIES.

"Better regulation" or reducing the regulatory burden on companies is one of the main priorities of the European Commission under Jose Manuel Barroso and the current UK Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers and the three preceding Presidencies (Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Ireland).

The European Commission has been gathering responses to a public consultation exercise on the "better regulation" initiative which involves a range of measures including streamlining the existing body of EU law, scrapping redundant or out-dated rules and ensuring that all legislation, existing or pending, meets the objective of boosting competitiveness. Under this consultation exercise, member states, industry and the general public have been asked for their views.

The consultation exercise revealed that the main priorities for the member states were in the following sectors:

- statistics;

- transport;

- reporting requirements linked to workplaces;

- construction.

However, for industry the main priority was customs rules. There was also a difference between the member states and industry as industry did not want regulations relating to pressure vessels (such as boilers) to come under the scope of this initiative.

According to responses from the general public their main concerns were taxation issues and social legislation.

In discussions with the Council, the...