Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001084/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Nora Junco García (ECR), Diego Solier (ECR)
The recent study by the ifo Institute in Germany confirms what the European business sector has been denouncing for years: the bureaucratic burden imposed by national and European regulations is stifling competitiveness and economic growth. The figures are stark.
German workers spend 22 % of their time on administrative tasks, at a cost of EUR 150 billion per year.
This structural problem is the result of an administration obsessed with control and regulation. Instead of facilitating business development, the EU imposes regulations that slow down innovation, discourage investment and force companies to divert valuable resources towards complying with unnecessary administrative requirements.
The Commission’s ‘Competitiveness Compass’ is another example of the disconnection between economic reality and EU bureaucracy. Grand statements about reducing administrative burdens do not translate into real changes. SMEs, Europe’s economic engine, suffer the consequences of these short-sighted policies. The proof of this is the AI Act, the excessive regulation of which will hamper European technological development while the US and China move ahead unimpeded.
- 1.Does the Commission recognise that its regulatory policy is damaging European competitiveness and encouraging relocation?
- 2.What concrete steps will it take to ensure that cutting red tape is real and not merely a declaration of intent?
- 3.How will the Commission ensure that regulations such as the AI Act do not stifle technological development in Europe?
Submitted: 13.3.2025