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The Better Regulation website sets out the actions taken by the European Commission, other EU institutions as well as those taken by the Member States in the Better Regulation field. It also offers access to the other websites of the Commission and Member States where Better Regulation is addressed.
The Communication on EU Regulatory Fitness (December 2012) takes stock of the progress achieved since the launch of the Commission's Smart Regulation agenda. It also outlines how EU legislation can achieve its objectives even more effectively and efficiently.It is accompanied by two Staff Working Document reporting on the final results of the "Review of the Commission Consultation Policy" and of the "Action Programme for Reducing Administrative Burdens in the EU"
Press release and Memo
New
The Commission' report to the Spring European Council on "Smart Regulation – Responding to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises" (COM(2013)122)
adopted on 7 March 2013 takes stock of the measures the Commission has taken to apply the "Think Small First" principle and minimize regulatory burden to SMEs since the last report in November 2011 (COM(2011)803) and sets out future actions.
A Staff Working Document (SWD(2013)60) also adopted on 7 March publishes the results of a public consultation of the "TOP 1O most burdensome legislative acts for SMEs" and introduces a new annual scoreboard which will allow to track the progress in the legislative cycle of proposals where a significant impact on SMEs can be expected. The scoreboard will also show how different approaches to implementation by Member States affect the overall impact on SMEs.
The European Union has, over the years, developed a sophisticated body of legislation which continues to deliver economic development, environmental protection and improvement of social standards, notably through the completion of the internal market. As progress towards these objectives is being achieved, it has also become clear that the way in which we regulate has considerable impact on whether we meet these objectives efficiently.
In the context of the renewed Lisbon Strategy, refocused on growth and jobs, the Commission has launched a comprehensive strategy on better regulation to ensure that the regulatory framework in the EU contributes to achieving growth and jobs, while continuing to take into account the social and environmental objectives and the benefits for citizens and national administrations. The EU's Better Regulation policy aims at simplifying and improving existing regulation, to better design new regulation and to reinforce the respect and the effectiveness of the rules, all this in line with the EU proportionality principle.
Better Regulation strategy is based on three key action lines:
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Promoting the design and application of better regulationtools at the EU level, notably simplification, reduction of administrative burdens and impact assessment.
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Working more closely with Member States to ensure that better regulation principles are applied consistently throughout the EU by all regulators.
- Reinforcing the constructive dialogue between stakeholders and all regulators at the EU and national levels.
A brochure 'Better Regulation - simply explained' gives a short overview of the Better Regulation strategy.
