Better Regulation

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Better regulation and a comprehensive and ongoing dismantling of red tape at national and European level are indispensable in order to strengthen the conditions for companies.

What they need is a simple, coherent and stable legal framework in order to be able to prosper on increasingly global markets.Better regulation / less red tape is one of the EU’s political priorities. The purpose of the »Action programme for reducing administrative burdens« published in 2007 is to measure the costs of bureaucracy caused by EU legislative acts and to cut them by 25 % by 2012.

To that end, the European Commission has set up a »High Level Group« (HLG) of independent stakeholders whose task is to reduce administrative burdens in the EU caused by legal provisions. Furthermore, it has initiated measures to simplify current legal provisions and to enhance impact assessment in the legislative procedure. The EU’s ambitious plans are beginning to produce tangible results. According to figures from the European Commission, the measures taken have reduced the acquis communautaire by around 10 % through simplification and codification.

It is crucial however that the HLG’s proposals are rapidly and consistently implemented and that other areas of regulation for excessive administrative burdens are identified. Therefore early involvement of businesses in impact assessment and estimation of administrative costs are necessary.  Furthermore there has to be ongoing monitoring of progress in reduction of administrative burdens through the setting of interim targets and progress reports.