Agreement is hard to come by in the European Union (EU). When the 27 member countries finally agree on a measure, there are congratulations all around and little thought to the ergonomics-related factors that will contribute to its success – or failure. March produced an exception. When the EU leaders met in Brussels for their Spring summit, they tackled a factor that has no place in an ergonomically-sound system – bureaucracy.

Agreeing that regulations often founder because member countries find the red tape insupportable, they agreed on measures as usual but decided at the same time to address the administrative burden attached to them. They want to see the bureaucracy originating from EU legislation cut by one quarter by 2012.

Ergonomic reforms generally bring financial benefits, and reducing the red tape promises significant cost savings. The March agreement comes at the urging of the European Commission, the executive arm of the Bloc, which estimates that national bureaucracy accounts for half of the EU’s administrative costs. According to Europa, an official EU publication, the reduction of red tape would boost the EU economy by the equivalent of 3.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product and free up an estimated 150 billion euros (US 197.5 billion) for investment.

Over the last four years, according to Europa, the Commissioners have been working on related ergonomic measures. These include assessing “the potential social, environmental and economic impacts of Commission initiatives prior to their adoption,” and developing “a new approach to measuring the administrative burdens.” They have also launched a program to simplify and codify existing rules. Codification is the process that brings together the provisions of existing acts with all of their subsequent amendments into one law.

There’s a catch. Success depends on the dedication to the goal of individual member states. The leaders noted that the target can only be reached if “member states and regional and local authorities … give a new political momentum to their own efforts to cut red tape.”

European Union leaders have pledged to turn Europe into the world’s most dynamic economy by 2010. It could be argued that cutting the red tape increases the prospects for achieving this overarching goal.

Source: Europa