Isn’t it a bore having to comply with all those pesky EU regulations that are so burdensome for business (“Europe’s red tape problem”, The Big Read, September 9)? The problem is the costs of business as usual are not even remotely comparable. Take one small element of these, resulting from PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), the so- called “forever chemicals” — persistent toxic substances that accumulate in our bodies. The annual health-related costs from PFAS are estimated to be €52bn– €84bn in EEA countries. The cost of remediating the water and soil in contaminated areas is likely to run into trillions. Compare this with the figure of €2.3bn in extra administrative costs to businesses cited in your report — a fraction of a percentage of EU gross domestic product. PFAS is just one aspect of the backdrop against which Green Deal regulations have been developed. These laws are probably seen by most Europeans as the bare minimum required. Anne-Sofie Bäckar Executive Director, ChemSec Gothenburg, Sweden
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