The tide is turning against EU bureaucracy One of Britain's relative strengths is that we have one of the most flexible labour markets in the developed world. This has prevented unemployment reaching the horrifying levels seen in some other European countries. At a time when we are struggling to escape from the worst economic crisis of our lifetime, the last thing we need is the imposition of a new set of regulations potentially costing the economy billions a year. I am not just fighting to keep the opt-out. There is also a battle to fend off damaging rulings by the European Court of Justice. One ruling decrees that employers should be forced to give their employees more time off work if they are injured or fall ill while on holiday. This proposition goes far beyond what was originally intended by the WTD and would simply strangle small businesses. I have instructed my officials to roll back these damaging rulings wherever possible, ensuring we strike a balance between protecting employees and giving employers the flexibility they need to help grow this country out of recession. The health sector, where the very nature of the work means that rigid rules don't always make sense, is another typical example. Ensuring that doctors get the rest they need between long shifts is important and the NHS has already made radical and costly changes to achieve this. But trying to micro-manage from Brussels where and when they can do so, is ludicrous. The WTD is not the only piece of EU legislation that could harm the British economy. European Parliament amendments to the Pregnant Workers Directive could also cost the Exchequer up to £2 billion extra in full pay during maternity leave, an excessively prescriptive and grossly disproportionate measure we are fighting with the support of Germany. These examples may be taken by some as evidence that the UK could somehow detach itself from the EU altogether. Or that we could carve out a comprehensive opt-out of all EU employment legislation. But in practice it is difficult to see how Britain could on the one hand continue to enjoy the benefits of the Single Market, worth £3,500 a year per UK household, while on the other refusing to engage on difficult issues. But the tide is turning. Beyond the Like Minded Group, Spain and Italy want the EU to focus more single-mindedly on a growth agenda, including deregulation. Last November the European Commission agreed to attack the regulatory burden with exemptions for micro businesses. And earlier this year, following sustained UK lobbying, we achieved agreement in Brussels to exempt around 1.4 million UK small businesses from burdensome EU accounting rules. When foolish and costly initiatives come out of Brussels, it is tempting to wave the Union flag and plead British exceptionalism. I discovered in Vilnius that we are not on our own. We are part of a new progressive European majority replacing the dinosaurs of the past. Vince Cable is the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills