The European Commission has adopted proposals for radical simplifications to the EU’s trailblazing environmental regulations. The commissioners argue that this is a pragmatic response to changing global economics and indicates that they have listened to the concerns of smaller businesses that are struggling to comply with onerous and conflicting rules.  

Ruth Prickett graduated from Cambridge University with a BA hons in History and has specialized in business and finance journalism for the past 20 years. She was editor of Financial Management, the magazine...