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/file54761.pdf
To view a copy of the report go to http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file54760.pdf
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