Drizzt
April 1, 2003, 06:36 PM
EU knife ruling slammed
The Adam Smith Institute has denounced the latest batch of EU regulations as yet another example of economic illiteracy. It singles out the new requirement, imposed by EU Safety Commissioner Senator Fapirollo, that the maximum length of knife blades permitted within the EU after 1 January 2004 will be 10cm (approx 4 inches).
The EU argument is that most knife-related injuries and deaths in EU countries are caused by blades longer than 10cm. Sen Fapirollo, in a statement introducing the new requirement, pointed out that it was expected to save over 5,000 lives a year. The ASI has pointed out that the cost of changing every single piece of cutlery knifeware will cost an estimated €24 billion, money which could be used to save many times the number of lives which will allegedly be saved. The ASI also points out to the huge costs, not only to the knife industry, but to every EU household which uses domestic cutlery. It suggests that the diversion of funds from consumption and investment to regulatory compliance will reduce EU wide growth by 0.8 percent in the first year alone.
The EU Commission has countered by pointing to the positive economic and job-creating potential of the new measure. When it was piloted for six months in the German state of Bavaria, it created a huge demand, not only for the new, shorter knives, but for the service industries which train people in their use. The German Industry Confederation says that its own research reveals that the only new jobs created were for knife grinders, since people preferred to cut down the size of existing knives, rather than buy the new ones.
A spokesperson for Britain’s Health and Safety Executive said that the new regulation will be enforced rigorously in Britain, and that after December 31st 2003, the so-called “night of the short knives,” inspectors will be setting out to make sure that respect for the new law is upheld
http://www.adamsmith.org/cissues/government-administration/knife-regulation.htm
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE..... Let this be an 'April Fool's' article.....
The Adam Smith Institute has denounced the latest batch of EU regulations as yet another example of economic illiteracy. It singles out the new requirement, imposed by EU Safety Commissioner Senator Fapirollo, that the maximum length of knife blades permitted within the EU after 1 January 2004 will be 10cm (approx 4 inches).
The EU argument is that most knife-related injuries and deaths in EU countries are caused by blades longer than 10cm. Sen Fapirollo, in a statement introducing the new requirement, pointed out that it was expected to save over 5,000 lives a year. The ASI has pointed out that the cost of changing every single piece of cutlery knifeware will cost an estimated €24 billion, money which could be used to save many times the number of lives which will allegedly be saved. The ASI also points out to the huge costs, not only to the knife industry, but to every EU household which uses domestic cutlery. It suggests that the diversion of funds from consumption and investment to regulatory compliance will reduce EU wide growth by 0.8 percent in the first year alone.
The EU Commission has countered by pointing to the positive economic and job-creating potential of the new measure. When it was piloted for six months in the German state of Bavaria, it created a huge demand, not only for the new, shorter knives, but for the service industries which train people in their use. The German Industry Confederation says that its own research reveals that the only new jobs created were for knife grinders, since people preferred to cut down the size of existing knives, rather than buy the new ones.
A spokesperson for Britain’s Health and Safety Executive said that the new regulation will be enforced rigorously in Britain, and that after December 31st 2003, the so-called “night of the short knives,” inspectors will be setting out to make sure that respect for the new law is upheld
http://www.adamsmith.org/cissues/government-administration/knife-regulation.htm
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE..... Let this be an 'April Fool's' article.....