Businesses must be given a stronger voice in challenging EU laws that affect their competitiveness, according to UK Cabinet Office minister John Hutton.
Speaking at the opening of an EU conference on cutting red tape, Hutton called for business to be fully engaged with the progress being made on better regulation.
The conference, which includes businesses, officials and ministers from across Europe, will consider the best way to guarantee business a permanent role in the drawing up of new regulations.
Hutton said: “Through EU institutions and national governments engaging more effectively with business, we want business to be the co-author rather than the victim of new regulations.
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“Governments and regulators need to consult early enough with business to explore whether regulation is actually necessary in the first place or whether alternative solutions can be found,” he said.
“Through responding to those consultations, businesses and their associations can shape a regulatory environment that enables them to grow.”
