Time to reboot better regulation?

The European Union has long been criticised for producing too many ill-conceived, costly laws. The Draghi and Letta reports suggest that this remains a major bottleneck to competitiveness. In response, over the past quarter century, the European Commission has prioritised 'Better Regulation' to improve the quality of legislation and its implementation. Results have been mixed. Beyond the ongoing simplification initiatives, it is time to raise the question of whether the 'Better Regulation' system is fit for purpose. Bruegel proposed to hold a seminar under Chatham house rules to explore the issue. The discussion was based on a review and proposals for change prepared by Elizabeth Golberg and Anne Bucher.

The seminar focused on three key questions:

• How to control the flow of legislation?
• How to improve ex-ante and ex-post assessments (and related methodologies)?
• How to anchor evaluation more firmly in decision-making and implementation processes?