Lancashire MEP spearheads red tape reform

Sajjad Karim has secured victory in Strasbourg in his fight against restrictive red tape which is hindering the progress of SMEs.

The North West MEP’s Better Legislation report was voted through by the Legal Affairs Committee in July and has now been approved by the full European Parliament meaning that small businesses will be freed from EU legislation unless the benefits outweigh the burdens.

From now on the EU cannot introduce new regulations on Europe's smallest businesses unless it can prove the proposed rule is truly beneficial and necessary. The commission will now have to prove that its proposals would benefit our smallest businesses, otherwise they should automatically receive an exemption.

The new report also gives power back to national parliaments and seeks to reduce influence from Brussels. National parliaments will have greater flexibility on future legislation and Sajjad is pushing for decision-making to be more transparent and proportionate.

Sajjad said: “The EU should be the most competitive and dynamic market in the world. We need the entrepreneurial spirit unleashed. After all it is the SMEs that will lead us out of the current economic climate.”

He added that the private sector in the UK had created one million jobs in the past two years.

“This is progress but so much more needs to be done and this will be a significant step towards doing more."