72% of cost of regulation in the UK comes from the EU The Telegraph questions whether Britain is still a sovereign state after the constitutional changes brought by EU membership. It cites Open Europe's research, which finds that 72 percent of the cost of regulation introduced in the past ten years is derived from the EU, and quotes Open Europe's conclusion that "In terms of absolute proportion, we estimate the figure to be around 50 percent. This means that the EU now has huge regulatory powers. What's more, in terms of relative impact - which is what matters - its powers over regulation exceed that of the UK government". The article also features graphs and a break-down of Open Europe's research, published in February this year, which found that EU regulation has cost the UK economy £148bn in the last ten years, £107bn of which is derived from EU legislation. The article concludes, "Even if we are talking about half of all UK laws and 72 per cent of regulations coming from Brussels, it is a staggeringly high proportion and of great importance to the way the country is run and governed." Elsewhere in the Telegraph,Matthew Elliott, the Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, argues that the overall cost of EU membership to Britain is the greatest cause for concern.
Thursday, 17 September 2009
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