Defining European success with smart regulation
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Issued on 11 March 2010
A new report published jointly today by the British, Danish and Dutch
governments challenges the way European institutions make decisions and
argues that smart EU regulation must mean that businesses and citizens are
put at the heart of all European policy-making.
EU regulation, and the access to the internal market it provides, gives
substantial benefits to the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands and other Member
States. Too often, however, European regulation is seen merely as
burdensome. The report, “Smart Regulation: A cleaner, fairer and more
competitive EU” addresses this and shows how smart EU regulation will
support growth and recovery in the current economic climate, maximise the
European Union’s social and environmental benefits, while reducing burdens
and costs.
Building on Commission President Barroso’s 2009 proposals for his second
term, the report suggests four critical elements in the EU’s next phase of
reform:
making the EU world-class in how it deals with regulation by improving
consultation with “end-users”, such as businesses and consumers, throughout
the legislative process;strengthening the role of the Impact Assessment
Board and making impact assessments the basis for EU policy proposals, not
an afterthought; ensure smart regulation is embedded in every policy
decision the Commission, Council and European Parliament make, and providing
accountability by the Commission publishing an annual overview of the
cumulative costs and benefits of European legislation; andmaking sure the
Council, the Parliament and the European Court of Auditors use better
regulation principles to understand the impact of EU policy-making.
To encourage the sharing of best practice the report highlights a number
of national and European regulatory practices such as
the European Commission’s voluntary agreement, signed by 10 mobile phone
producers, to reduce radically electronic waste by using standardised phone
chargers;the UK’s Simplification Programme which has cut the cost of
regulation by nearly £3 billion a year to date; the UK’s publication of a
Forward Programme of all new regulations to increase transparency and
allowing for the first time Government and business a full picture of the
impact of regulation;Denmark’s Burden Hunter’s programme, which has helped
policy-makers to obtain a better understanding of what is particularly
troublesome for business and what creates value for end-users; andThe
Netherlands’ broadened result-oriented regulatory reform programme for
business, linked to key quantitative and qualitative indicators to reduce
regulatory burdens.
Ian Lucas, Minister for Business and Better Regulation, said:
“In the UK better regulation is an essential element of creating the
right environment to help businesses start up, invest and grow and build a
prosperous, fair and safe society.
“Putting better regulation solutions into practice across Europe will
have an enormous impact, not only saving money but promoting economic growth
and allowing business to prosper.
“This report is an opportunity to set out a strong, new approach for
Europe and encourage the European institutions and other member states to
seize this opportunity for further reform and improvement, making
policy-makers and officials more accountable to the people of Europe.”
Danish Minister for Economic and Business Affairs, Brian Mikkelsen said:
"I am happy that the three front runners in the area of better regulation
were able to join forces and make concrete what we think should constitute
what President Barroso has called “Smart Regulation”. One of the innovations
in the report is an enhanced focus on the end-user's needs and perception of
regulation. This focus needs to be embedded in the way all Institutions,
including Member States in the European Union, deal with regulation".
To view the executive summary please go to
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/f ile54761.pdf
To view a copy of the report go to
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/f ile54760.pdf
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
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