Monday

4th Dec 2023

Commission axes pregnant workers bill

  • The Commission has promised to cut the regulatory burden on businesses. (Photo: Flickr.com)

The European Commission has announced that a plan to extend maternity leave for pregnant workers is one of five bills that will not be retabled in the next legislature.

Also killed off were bills on investor compensation schemes, and a 12-year old plan to set up a compensation fund for the victims of oil pollution damage.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

In a statement on Wednesday (18 June), the commission said that it was “good legislative practice to withdraw proposals that do not advance in the legislative process,” and noted that the proposals were either “outdated” or lacked support by MEPs and ministers.

The EU executive added that it had abandoned plans to table legislation on occupational health and safety for hairdressers. It also intends to repeal legislation relating to energy labelling, transport rates and the common agricultural policy.

The commission says it has slashed the cost of administrative burdens by €32.3 billion and scrapped more than 6,000 legal acts since 2005.

It introduced the so-called Refit programme last October after a number of governments expressed frustration about the volume of EU regulation on businesses.

UK prime minister David Cameron raised the issue at an EU summit last autumn, complaining that firms were being "throttled" by EU red-tape.

Politicians and business groups have argued that for every regulation and directive introduced another should be abolished.

Syed Kamall, who was elected leader of the conservative ECR group last week, commented that “the commission is correct to start focusing attention on areas where EU law should be repealed or reformed”.

“We need a culture change from the 1950s vision that every problem can only be solved by EU legislation,” he added.

Cameron sees EU 'sea change' on red tape

UK prime minister David Cameron has praised the European Commission's commitment to slashing red-tape on businesses saying there had been a "sea change in thinking" by Brussels.

Agenda

EU-China summit and migration files in focus This WEEK

This week, EU and Chinese leaders will meet in Beijing to discuss how to cooperate in the international area despite their rivalry. Meanwhile, a marathon trilogue on the five migration files takes place on Thursday.

Opinion

Why EU's €18m for Israel undermines peace

The optics of a nine-fold increase of annual funding for Israel, in the middle of its devastating military campaign in Gaza, stands in contrast with the attempted suspension, delaying and constraining of EU development aid for the Palestinians.

Opinion

Why EU's €18m for Israel undermines peace

The optics of a nine-fold increase of annual funding for Israel, in the middle of its devastating military campaign in Gaza, stands in contrast with the attempted suspension, delaying and constraining of EU development aid for the Palestinians.

Latest News

  1. EU-China summit and migration files in focus This WEEK
  2. COP28 debates climate finance amid inflated accounting 'mess'
  3. Why EU's €18m for Israel undermines peace
  4. Israel's EU ambassador: 'No clean way to do this operation'
  5. Brussels denies having no 'concern' on Spain's amnesty law
  6. Dubai's COP28 — a view from the ground
  7. Germany moves to criminalise NGO search-and-rescue missions
  8. Israel recalls ambassador to Spain in new diplomatic spat

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  3. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  4. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  5. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  6. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us