techUK response to inquiry on EU environmental policy

23 Nov 2015 03:21 PM

An overview of techUK's response to the Environmental Audit Committee's inquiry into the effectiveness of EU environmental policy.

Just how effective have the EU's environmental policies been? What have been its merits and drawbacks? What has been the impact on business?This is the subject of a new inquiry launched by the Environmental Audit Committee, held partly to help inform the debate ahead of the 2017 referendum on EU membership.

techUK's response stressed the following points:

• In general, techUK members welcome the harmonisation of environmental legislation across Europe. It supports the creation of a strong single market, which has a positive impact on business.
• Environmental law was one of the faster developing areas of law at the end of the last century. It is difficult to find an area where rules do not apply. Such laws are often very detailed, sometimes deeply technical, at times over-complicated and arguably in places the framework appears incoherent.
• EU environmental policy is delivering beneficial outcomes but there are areas of environmental impact that tend to be overlooked, both in EU and UK environmental policy. There tends to be a natural bias for regulation focusing on production over processes and products over consumption.
• Getting the policy landscape right is one of the biggest challenges in his space. We need to align many of the duplicative or contradictory policy objectives that currently compete against each other to give a clearer, more certain signal to the market. We would also like to see the Commission in being more flexible in addressing perverse incentives and unforeseen outcomes.
• The EU doesn't have a monopoly on developing an inconsistent and overly technical framework for environmental law. The UK's unilateral climate change policies are a case in point, particularly the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme which has become little more than a complicated tax and is roundly failing to drive sustainable behaviours and investment.
• We welcome the Commission's current focus on better regulation and the REFIT process. This is much needed and we are starting to see good progress being made in addressing areas of duplication, confliction and unnecessary administrative burden. This work must continue. In parallel, we need to focus on the consistent application and enforcement of the framework that is now in place.
• The process of policy making needs to be improved. The consultation process must be reviewed and impact assessments routinely completed when regulatory interventions are considered.

techUK response to EAC (pdf)

We will keep you updated on how the inquiry unfolds. If you want to get more involved in techUK's work on environment law and sustainability then please do drop me a line.

Susanne Baker

Head of Environment and Compliance Programme

T (0) 20 7331 2028 
E susanne.baker@techuk.org