PURPOSE: to present new measures to deliver better rules for better results.
BACKGROUND: the new Commissions priority is to deliver solutions to the big issues that cannot be addressed by the Member States alone: (i) an investment plan to leverage EUR 315 billion to boost jobs and growth; (ii) an energy union to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy; (iii) an internal security agenda to tackle common threats like terrorism and organised crime; (iv) a digital single market to unlock online opportunities; (v) and a migration agenda.
The new initiatives flow from genuine political priorities and the Commission cannot, and should not, be involved in every issue in the EU.
The Commission stresses that better regulation is not about "more" or "less" EU legislation, nor is it about deregulating or deprioritising certain policy areas or compromising EU values. The aim is rather to make sure that ambitious policy goals are achieved.
CONTENT: this Communication sets out a series of actions which demonstrate the Commissions renewed commitment to apply the principles of better regulation to its everyday work. The aim is to work more transparently and inclusively to produce higher quality proposals, and ensure that existing rules deliver important societal goals more effectively.
1) Consulting more, listening better: the Commission intends to lead more transparent consultations, which reach all relevant stakeholders and target the evidence needed to make sound decisions. The Commission will create a website for each initiative.
Thus, stakeholders will be able to:
2) Explaining better the objectives to be achieve and the results expected: an improved explanatory memorandum accompanying each Commission proposal will explain why the initiative is needed, why it is the best tool for the EU to use, what stakeholders think and what the likely environmental, social and economic impacts are, particularly those on competitiveness and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
3) How EU law affects people, businesses and society as a whole: the Commission wants stakeholders to be able to provide feedback on any aspect of EU policy and legislation, at any time. A new "Lighten the Load Have Your Say" feature on the Commission's better regulation website will give everyone a chance to air their views and make comments on existing EU laws and initiatives in addition to the formal consultations the Commission undertakes.
4) Better regulation: new, integrated guidelines on better regulation will apply to the Commission's work and will ensure that: (i) economic, social and environmental impacts continue to be considered alongside each other in all of the Commission's analytical work together with fundamental rights; (ii) keeping the EU competitive and the EU's development sustainable remains a priority; (iii) particular attention is paid to the rules that affect SMEs.
When considering policy solutions, the Commission will consider both regulatory and well-designed non-regulatory means as well as improvements in the implementation and enforcement of existing legislation.
The Impact Assessment Board which has evaluates initial proposals since 2006, will be replaced by a new Regulatory Scrutiny Board with a strengthened role, which will: (i) assess the quality of the impact assessments which inform political decision-making; (ii) check major evaluations and carry out "fitness checks" of existing legislation.
5) Keeping EU Law fit for purpose: over time, even well-designed legislation may become out of date, more burdensome than it needs to be, or ceases to achieve its objectives. The regulatory fitness and performance programme (REFIT) adopted by the Commission to ensure that EU legislation remains fit for purpose and delivers the results intended by EU lawmakers. It aims to unlock the benefits of EU law for citizens, businesses and society as a whole in the most efficient and effective way, while removing red tape and lowering costs without compromising policy objectives.
In the framework of the REFIT programme, the Commission is already working to:
6) Towards an new institutional agreement: the Commission considers that real change will only happen through a commitment shared between all EU institutions, and each and every Member State. Accordingly, it proposes a new agreement with Parliament and Council, whereby the three institutions will particularly undertake to:
The Commission hopes the three institutions can finalise a new agreement by the end of 2015.