The European Union must step up its efforts to cut red tape, a UK business pressure group has urged.
The growing number of new regulations coming out of Brussels is suffocating small businesses across Europe, the Federation of Small Businesses warned.
Its admonition comes in advance of the Better Regulation Conference beginning today in Edinburgh.
The Conference is part of the UK’s EU Presidency programme and is aimed at finding ways to reduce excessive administrative burdens on small firms.
“Small businesses cannot go on facing tidal waves of red tape and regulation from the EU and its member states,” said John Walker, FSB policy chairman.
“It is not acceptable for officials and politicians to persist with a ‘regulate first, measure later’ approach to policymaking.”
Walker said he recognises that the European Commission has made strides toward curbing the amount of unnecessary regulation but that for the climate to get better for small businesses, the EU’s institutions, MEPs and member states all need to come to come together on this philosophy.
He praised the UK’s current presidency as the best opportunity business has had in years to alleviate the burdens of red tape.
