Additional tools

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Key documents

This section contains key documents on Better Regulation strategy, organised in thematic areas.

• Better Regulation in general
• Impact assessment
• Consultation
• Expertise
• Administrative costs
• Choice of regulatory instruments
• Transposition and application of EU law
• Subsidiarity and proportionality - Annual reports on Better lawmaking
• Simplification
• Sectoral simplification
• Codification and recasting
• Accessibility and presentation of EU law
• Inter-institutional coordination

 

 Better Regulation in general

• EU Regulatory Fitness
  Commission communication - COM(2012)746 (12 December 2012) DE  EN  FR
  
  Staff Working Document "Review of the Commission Consultation Policy" – SWD(2012) 422 (12 December 2012) EN
  
  Staff Working Document "Action Programme for Reducing Administrative Burdens in the EU" – SWD(2012) 423 (12 December 2012) EN
   
• Smart Regulation in the European Union
  Commission communication - COM(2010)543 (8 October 2010) DE  EN  FR
   
• Third strategic review of Better Regulation in the European Union
  Commission communication - COM(2009)15 (28 January 2009)
   
• Second strategic review of Better Regulation in the European Union
  Commission communication - COM(2008)32 (30 January 2008)
   
• A strategic review of Better Regulation in the European Union
  Commission communication - COM(2006)689 (November 2006)
   
• Annual reports on Better lawmaking
   
• Better Regulation - simply explained - brochure (2006)
   
• Implementing the Community Lisbon programme: A strategy for the simplification of the regulatory environment
  Commission communication - COM(2005)535 (October 2005)
   
• Better regulation for Growth and Jobs in the European Union
  Commission communication - COM(2005)97 (March 2005)
   
• Updating and simplifying the Community Acquis
  Commission communication - COM(2003)71 (2003) + SEC(2003) 165 (2003 - FR only)
   
• Simplifying and improving the regulatory environment
  Action plan - COM(2002)278 (2002)
   
• Better lawmaking
  Commission communication - COM(2002)275 (2002)
   
• Inter-institutional Agreement on Better Lawmaking (2003)
  Common commitments and objectives of the three main European institutions in the field of better regulation.
     
• European governance
  White paper - COM(2001)428 (2001)
  Better Regulation action plan was the practical follow-up of the White Paper.
   
• Mandelkern report on Better Regulation (2001)
  The Report served as a basis for drawing the Better Regulation policy in the EU.

 Impact assessment

• See 'Key documents' in the Commission Impact Assessment website

 Consultation

• Towards a reinforced culture of consultation and dialogue - General principles and minimum standards for consultation of interested parties by the Commission
  Commission communication - COM(2002)704 (2002)

 Expertise

• Collection and use of expertise by the Commission: principles and guidelines - "Improving the knowledge base for better policies"
  Commission communication - COM(2002)713 (2002)
  Communication provides basic guidelines and good practices to the Commission services.
   
• European Governance
  Commission white paper - COM(2001)428 (2001)
  The White Paper stressed the need to enhance the European public's confidence in policies founded on expert advice.

 Administrative costs

• Reducing administrative burdens in the European Union - 2008 progress report and 2009 outlook
  Commission working document - COM(2009)16 - Annexes EN (28 January 2009)
    
• Reducing administrative burdens in the European Union - 2007 progress report and 2008 outlook
  Commission working document - COM(2008)35 (30 January 2008)
    
• Action programme for reducing administrative burdens in the EU
  Commission Communication - COM(2007)23 (January 2007) + Annexes SEC(2007)84 and SEC(2007)85
   
• Measuring administrative costs and reducing administrative burdens in the EU
  Commission working document - COM(2006)691 (November 2006)
   
• EU Standard Cost Model - Operational Manual
  See 'Assessing administrative costs set by EU legislation'
   
• EU common methodology for assessing administrative costs imposed by legislation
  Commission communication - COM(2005)518 (October 2005) +
  Outline of the proposed EU common methodology and report on the pilot phase (April-September 2005)
  Annex - SEC(2005)1329 (March 2005)
   
• Minimising administrative costs imposed by legislation, detailed outline of a possible EU net administrative cost model
  Annex to the Communication (COM(2005)97) on Better Regulation for Growth and Jobs in the EU - SEC(2005)175 (March 2005)

 Choice of regulatory instruments

• Inter-institutional Agreement on Better Lawmaking (2003)
  Common commitments and objectives of the three main European institutions in the field of better regulation. 

 Transposition and application of EU law

• Annual report 2007 on monitoring the application of Community law
  COM(2008)777 (18 November 2008)
   
• A Europe of results - applying Community law
  COM(2007)502 (5 September 2007)
   
• Annual report 2006 on monitoring the application of Community law
  COM(2007)398 (17 July 2007) + Annex SEC(2007)976
   
• Annual report 2005 on monitoring the application of Community law
  COM(2006)416 (24 July 2006)
   
• Better monitoring the application of Community law
  Commission communication - COM(2002)725 (2002)

 Subsidiarity and proportionality - Annual reports on Better lawmaking

• Subsidiarity and proportionality - Annual reports on Better lawmaking. 

 Simplification

• Minimizing regulatory burden for SMEs
  Commission Staff Working Document SWD(2013)60 (7 March 2013) "Monitoring and Consultation on Smart Regulation for SMEs"
  Commission Communication COM(2013)122 (7 March 2013) "Smart Regulation – Responding to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises" -Press Release-
  -Memo-
  Commission communication COM(2011) 803(23 November 2011) - Press release
    
• Third progress report on the strategy for simplifying the regulatory environment
  Commission working document - COM(2009)17 (28 January 2009)
    
• Second progress report on the strategy for simplifying the regulatory environment
  Commission working document - COM(2008)33 (30 January 2008)
    
• First progress report on the strategy for the simplification of the regulatory environment
  Commission working document - COM(2006)690 (November 2006)
  The Simplification Rolling Programme (2006-2009) is in annex.
   
• Commission Legislative and Work Programme
  The 'simplification proposals' are included in the work programme.
   
• Outcome of the screening of legislative proposals pending before the Legislator
  Commission communication - COM(2005)462 (2005)
   
• Implementing the Community Lisbon programme: A strategy for the simplification of the regulatory environment
  Commission communication - COM(2005)535 (2005)
   
• Implementation of the framework action “Updating and Simplifying the Community Acquis”
  Second report - COM(2004)432 + annex SEC(2004)774 (June 2004)
   
• Implementation of the Framework Action “Updating and Simplifying the Community Acquis”
  First Report - COM(2003)623 + annex SEC(2003)1085 (2003)
   
• Updating and simplifying the Community Acquis
  Commission communication - COM(2003)71 (2003) + SEC(2003) 165 (2003 - FR only)
   
• Action Plan "Simplifying and Improving the Regulatory Environment "
  Commission communication - COM(2002)278 (2002)

 Sectoral simplification

• Environment policy: Better Regulation and the Thematic Strategies for the Environment
  Commission working document - COM(2005)466 (2005) + annex SEC(2005) 1197
   
• Agriculture and rural development: Simplification and Better Regulation for the Common Agricultural Policy
  Commission communication - COM(2005)509 (2005)
   
• Fisheries and maritime policy: 2006-08 Action Plan for Simplifying and Improving the Common Fisheries Policy
  Commission communication - COM(2005)647 (2005)
   
• Internal market : Simpler legislation for the internal market (SLIM): a pilot project
  Commission communication - COM(96)204 (1996)

 Codification and recasting

• Third progress report on the strategy for simplifying the regulatory environment
  Commission working document - COM(2009)17 (28 January 2009)
  The codification programme is in Annex 6.
    
• First progress report on the strategy for the simplification of the regulatory environment
  Commission working document - COM(2006)690 (2006)
  The codification programme is in Annex 2.
   
• Implementing the Community Lisbon programme : A strategy for the simplification of the regulatory environment
  Commission communication - COM(2005)535 (2005)
   
• Codification of the Acquis communautaire
  Commission communication - COM(2001)645 (2001)  

 Accessibility and presentation of EU law

• Commission Manual on Legislative Drafting  

 Inter-institutional coordination

• Inter-institutional Agreement on Better Lawmaking (2003)
  Common commitments and objectives of the three European institutions in the field of better regulation. Agreement includes the setting up of the High-level technical group for inter-institutional cooperation.
   
• Inter-institutional Agreement on common guidelines for the quality of drafting of Community legislation (1998)
   
• Inter-institutional Agreement on an accelerated working method for official codification of legislative texts (1994)
   
• Inter-institutional Agreement on a structured use of the recasting technique for legal acts (2002)
   
• Common Approach to Impact Assessment