Media player help Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue. Media captionNow we've voted to leave the EU, are house prices really going to fall, asks Simon Gompertz What is the 'red tape' that opponents of the EU complain about? Ged, from Liverpool, suspects "red tape is a euphemism for employment rights and environmental protection. According to the Open Europe think tank, four of the top five most costly EU regulations are either employment or environment-related. The UK renewable energy strategy, which the think-tank says costs £4.7bn a year, tops the list. The working time directive bn a year) which limits the working week to 48 hours and the temporary agency workers directive (E2.1bn a year), giving temporary staff many of the same rights as permanent ones are also on the list.