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The European Commission’s Action Plan for Better Regulation

The Commission adopted its Action Plan for simplifying and improving the regulatory environment in June 2002. It is a comprehensive strategy to promote better regulation in the EU, containing action points for the Commission, the other Community Institutions (European Parliament and Council) and the Member States.

Key elements include:

• Systematic use of impact assessment by the Commission when preparing policy proposals;
• Establishment of minimum standards for external consultations carried out by the Commission;
• A programme to simplify and update the existing body of European law;

The UK Government welcomed the Action Plan, calling for its full implementation. The Commission has made considerable progress on improving its internal working practices, although much remains to be done. An Inter-Institutional Agreement on Better Lawmaking  was signed by the Commission, European Parliament and Council in December 2003 which lays the basis for improving the way that the Institutions work together in making policy.

Relevant Links

Governance in the EU – European Commission web page
Commission Action plan "Simplifying and improving the regulatory environment" (PDF 94KB)
Inter-Institutional Agreement on Better Lawmaking December 2003 (PDF 47KB)
Better Lawmaking Report 2003 (PDF 194KB)
The UK Government response to the European Commissions Action Plan for Simplifying and Improving the Regulatory Environment (PDF 172)