The European Commission has promised to cut red tape, simplify existing rules and withdraw some proposals in order to reduce the bureaucratic burden on European business.
Important new proposals will be assessed for their impact on business before being approved by the Commission and excessively complicated or burdensome legislation will be changed or withdrawn.
The Enterprise and Industry Commissioner, Guenther Verheugen, said there were currently more than 900 legislative proposals from the Commission awaiting approval by the Council of Ministers, where national governments meet, and the European Parliament.
"The question we must ask ourselves is this: are all these initiatives really necessary? We intend to look into this very question over the coming months and draw the appropriate conclusions," he said.
Mr Verheugen said he was immediately withdrawing a proposal to regulate package sizes for coffee on the grounds that it was unnecessary.
Over the coming months, the Commission will simplify complicated EU rules on such diverse products and processes as medical appliances, plant products and waste disposal.
Mr Verheugen said he would soon propose a major overhaul of the rules governing construction products, which are notoriously complicated. The "Better Regulation" initiative is part of the Commission's project to boost economic growth and encourage job creation in the EU.
Mr Verheugen warned, however, that the initiative could only succeed if national governments also agreed to cut the red tape that burdens businesses.
"A great deal of what hampers economic growth originates in national administrative regulations - indeed, one of the reasons why many people shy away from setting up a business of their own - isthe jungle of national bureaucracy," he said.
He quoted a British study that found that 80 per cent of the red tape encumbering the European economy does not come from Brussels but from national capitals, because EU Directives are implemented in an unnecessarily bureaucratic fashion.
The Commission wants all EU member-states to establish national Better Regulation strategies and impact assessment systems to test the economic, social and environmental impact of new rules.
"When drafting new national legislation, member states are invited to take into account the consequences of such legislation on the internal market and for other member states," the Commission said.
A number of EU countries have established one-stop-shops for business registration, an activity that can be cumbersome elsewhere.
