[lispm]

The spin in Germany actually is that regulation GENERALLY in the EU is working differently and that few want to change to the US model (less regulation to bring products to the market, but costly court cases). You can study the effects of the differences in many areas.

That it is not working in some areas and that there is a lot industry lobbying is another topic.

[PythonicAlpha]

The problem with the automotive industry is, that the top lobbyist in the EU for it is the German chancellor (which name soever he/she has).

[lispm]

No, the problem with industry general is that it is tightly interwoven with politics and naturally tries to find loopholes in any regulatory system. The question is, given that the regulatory approach is not perfect, which one has still more benefits for the consumer.

* a new pesticide enters the market. After three years we find out that it kills bees and would lead to the death of a species.

Germans usually would want that some independent upfront effort is done to determine that this product is potentially harmful and prevent it from entering the market. In real life, this leads to all kinds of practical problems. But that does not mean we should give up this approach, just because it is not perfect.