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environment, the EU insists on standards

To be sure, the common market is an

wholly inappropriate to the current stage of

improvement on the era of nationalism and

CEE economic development. Together, those

protectionism that preceded it. But there is

three chapters pose the most significant costs

no logical connection between the common

to the CEECs.

market and common rules regarding such

matters as technical standards, consumer

Common Employment and Social Policy

protection, environmental standards, com-

Today, the EU specifies the terms of contract

petition policy, and fairness in the workplace.

between employer and employee through regu-

The only thing necessary for the existence of

lations varying from the European agreement

an integrated market is borders open to the

on parental leave to the EU directive on the

flow of goods and capital. How those goods

minimum level of training of seafarers.35

are produced may be of interest to con-

sumers, but a common market in no way

Regulations micromanaging working times

requires a unitary state.

cover, for example, the road transport industry

and civil aviation.36 There is a European direc-

The set of regulations concerning internal

trade in Europe and other social and eco-

tive on the general organization of working

nomic aspects of European life is called the

time, which mandates that employers limit the

workweek to an average of 48 hours.37 That

acquis communautaire. Under the terms of the

enlargement, the CEECs are required to

directive also imposes a limit of an average of 8

adopt the entire acquis prior to the accession.

hours of work a day, which nightworkers can be

But some countries have negotiated "transi-

required to work, and gives them a right to

tion periods" during which they will be

receive free health assessments. It gives employ-

allowed to gradually implement all the rele-

ees a right to 11 hours rest a day. It mandates a

vant regulations.

right to a day off each week and a right to an in-

The acquis is divided into 31 chapters and

work rest break if the working day is longer

includes regulations governing free move-

than 6 hours. It further mandates a right to

four weeks paid leave per year.38

ment of goods, freedom of movement for per-

sons, and free movement of capital. It pro-

Other agreements regulate health and

vides for common competition, transport,

safety requirements, often in complex detail.

agricultural, and fisheries policies. There are

One directive, for example, sets minimum

chapters dealing with the monetary union,

health and safety requirements for employees

energy, industrial policy, science and research,

working with vibrating machinery in order to

education and training, culture and audiovi-

prevent "neurological and vascular disor-

ders."39 The directive, therefore, limits hand-

Regulations

sual policy, consumer protection, justice, cus-

toms, and so on. There is even an embryonic

arm vibration to the daily limit of 5 m/s2 and

against the pejo-

common taxation policy. Below I will discuss

whole-body vibration to 1,15 m/s2. It then

ratively labeled

costs associated with three chapters in partic-

offers a guide to calculating the acceptable

ular--those on common employment and

levels of vibrations "as the square root of the

concept of "social

social policy, environment, and agriculture.

sum of the squares (rms) (total value) of the

dumping" con-

Those chapters are of particular impor-

frequency-weighted acceleration values, deter-

tribute not to

tance to the new EU members. Overregulation

mined on the orthogonal axes ahwx, ahwy,

of conditions of employment will diminish

ahwz as defined in Chapters 4 and 5 and

alleviation but to

the comparative advantage that CEE workers

Annex A to ISO standard 5349-1(2001)."

worsening of the

enjoy over their more highly paid western

Though the idea of an employer overseeing

counterparts. Western standards of food pro-

his employees with a calculator in one hand

workers' lot.

duction will push many CEE producers out of

and a stopwatch in the other hand may seem

business. That negative effect of accession will

preposterous, the directive insists that "the

be further exacerbated by the unfair nature of

employer shall assess and, if necessary, mea-

EU agricultural subsidies. With regard to the

sure the levels of mechanical vibration to

7