More efficient EU law-making process?

In April 2021 the EU Commission adopted a Communication on Better Regulation that includes several proposals on the possible improvements of EU law-making process. Given to the challenging times we live in, it is more important to enhance EU’s competitiveness which includes the simplification of EU’s legislative system.

According to Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, “the Commission already has one of the best Better Regulation systems in the world but we still need to do more”. The aim is on one hand to simplify EU legislation, and, on the other hand, to support sustainability and digitalisation.

The essence of this proposal is the cooperation between the EU institutions with Member States and stakeholders, including social partners, businesses and civil society. The Commission proposed among others to (i) simplify public consultations by introducing a single “Call for Evidence” on Have Your Say portal; (ii) mainstream the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in order to meet the goals of the 2030 sustainable development agenda; (iii) improve legislation that supports sustainability; (iv) and to introduce a “one in, one out” approach, to minimise burdens for citizens and businesses (this principle means that the new introduction of a burden will result in the removal of an equivalent burden in the same policy area).

The EU Commission underlined that a better regulation is a shared objective and responsibility of all EU institutions. The Commission plans to contact the European Parliament and the Council regarding their efforts to assess and monitor the impact of EU legislation. In the meantime, some of the elements of this communication are already available, such as the “Fit for Future Platform”, which provides advice on ways to make EU legislation easier to comply with, efficient and fit for the future.