The European Union has long talked about reducing the bureaucratic burden on businesses. In the current EU mandate, there has also been a lot of emphasis on competitiveness – putting Europe’s industries, large or small, in a better position to rival the likes of American or Chinese industries. 

Now, the EU Commission has presented what it calls a “simplification shock”. Essentially, that means removing red tape in order to stimulate investment and growth, and to make European companies more competitive globally. The Commission points out that “over 60% of EU businesses see regulation as an obstacle to investment, and 55% of Small and Medium Enterprises cite regulatory and administrative burdens as their greatest challenge”. But some political groups and NGOs are concerned that the policy might be a smokescreen for rolling back standards on the environment and corporate due diligence. They suggest that that an entire deregulation agenda is hiding behind the euphemism of “simplification”. 

Programme prepared by Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats, Luke Brown and Oihana Almandoz