Europeans like rules. They rightly believe that the law, which is equal for all, is necessary for life in society. Our various codes are constantly expanding. Our nations are constantly legislating, and the second level of democracy that we have organised with the European Union finds expression in this, as it is based on the law.
However, on the initiative of the European People's Party and with the support of extreme right-wing groups, the European Parliament has adopted provisions that roll back the directives on due diligence and reporting. It came as a bolt from the blue!
Is the von der Leyen II Commission unravelling what the von der Leyen I Commission set in motion? Could an alternative majority be emerging in the European Parliament, where the far right no longer hesitates to vote for the centre-right's deregulation agenda? Is Europe reneging on its climate commitments, as environmental NGOs claim? Were the sovereigntists right after all?
A political interpretation does not correspond to reality, which is better explained by the facts. The weight of European regulations is partly responsible for the 20% loss in productivity that Europe has suffered over the last 30 years compared to the United States, with which it was previously on a par. European growth has stalled, industry is in decline, jobs are disappearing and purchasing power is stagnating. But regulatory output continues unabated.
The European Union is not primarily to blame for this situation, as the legislative abuses accelerating this collective decline originate primarily in our capitals; however, it is an accomplice.
These constraints come at a price. The European chemical industry may not survive the full implementation of the REACH regulation. The automotive sector has already lost 80,000 jobs in five years and is likely to lose twice that number in the next ten years.
This is a prime example. European car manufacturers were the world leaders. Challenging them for this position is very costly for any competitor. By forcing them to produce only electric engines from 2035 onwards, which the Chinese developed for lack of anything better, European regulations are sacrificing an entire sector of European excellence to its competitors.
An industry is not built on regulations, but first and foremost on a market where consumers make decisions and producers innovate to better satisfy them. Electric vehicles currently account for only 16% of the market in Europe! Consumers have shunned them.
Laws should set objectives, not methods for achieving them.
No invention has ever resulted from a regulation.
Technological freedom is a prerequisite for innovation and therefore for progress.
Why not include hybrid cars or cars using other fuels in the common emission reduction targets? A growing number of Chinese vehicles entering the EU are already hybrids because that is what Europeans prefer.
Mario Draghi outlined this philosophy and its practical applications in a report that Europeans have delayed implementing due to a lack of choice and courage.
If the EU and our national governments made more of an effort to think long term instead of acting on a whim, they would succeed in preserving the European model without ruining its industry, i.e. simplification without rolling back, through incentives rather than constraints.
