Almost unnoticed, the Government yesterday published the second batch of reports in its so-called “Balance of Competences” (BoC) review – the flagship exercise that’s mapping out the EU’s impact on UK society and the economy – covering everything from trade to culture.
It’s a mixed bag. The Trade and Investment report is a genuinely good read, engaging with alternatives to the EU and key debates, such as whether the EU is trade diverting or creating.
The reports on transport and environment point to some serious problems of over-interference, such as that EU rules can add 18 months to a planning application for building a house, illustrating the need for some strong, new safeguards against over-regulation (such as a “red card” for national parliaments).
However, while the individual reports contain tales of dissatisfaction with the EU within policy areas, none of the reports draw any deep conclusions about the broader balance of power between Westminster and Brussels. This is clearly deliberate, in part due to the Coalition Agreement, in part due to fears about giving away the UK’s potential negotiating hand.
But this means that it isn’t a “Balance of Competence” review at all, but rather a descriptive public consultation. This would have been fine but for a rather odd, unintended consequence. In its attempt to avoid drawing any “controversial” conclusions, the BoC is doing precisely that.
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