Bonfire of the directives - or just good housekeeping?

The Independent reports that the EU Commission is at last proposing to do something about red tape:

"One-third of planned EU legislation was shelved yesterday in an attempt to ease burdens on business and shed the European Commission's image as a source of endless red tape.
In an unprecedented initiative, the Commission named a host of draft laws which it intended to scrap following a comprehensive review. The announcement reveals the extent to which the tide has turned in Brussels since the heyday of Jacques Delors.
The "bonfire of the directives" means the end of proposals covering everything from measures for the recovery of cod and hake stocks to rules to improve the production and marketing of honey.
The European Industry Commissioner, Günter Verheugen, said he screened 183 Bills and
ended up axing 68 of them, adding: "This is how we will be able to cut red tape and ensure we alleviate the burden on small and medium-sized enterprises, and the economy at large. Europe really means business. We all want better regulation and we all want better legislation."
...
Measures to be withdrawn
* Amended directive on labelling, which would tighten rules on labelling of drinks with more than 1.2 per cent alcohol.
* Proposed directive on weekend bans for lorries, would have clarified rules on restrictions on key strategic routes across Europe.
* Proposed directive on safety, which would harmonise professional requirements for civil airline cabin crews.
* Proposed directive to standardise pack sizes for coffee.
* Proposed regulation to allow associations and foundations to operate across the EU.
* Proposed measure to improve honey production. "

But wait a minute. These proposals were never going to be adopted. Many of them have been proposed by the Commission but never found favour with the Council of Ministers. For example, the labelling of drinks rules were originally proposed by the Commission in 1999 but the Council has never agreed even to consider them. Similarly, the weekend bans for lorries were proposed by the Commission in 1998, modified by the Commission in 2000 and 2002 but remain blocked in the Council of Ministers. As for airline cabin crews, this proposal is being dropped because it has already been integrated into another proposed regulation.

In these circumstances, this is less of an attack on red tape and more a tidying-up exercise of clearing out the stuff in the back of the fridge that is never going to be eaten. There will be no actual reduction in red tape.