WRITTEN QUESTION P-0841/01

by Malcolm Harbour (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 March 2001)

Subject: Directives and regulations

Would the Commission please indicate:

- how many directives and regulations were originally proposed during 2000 and in January and February 2001, by the directorates-general for which the following Commissioners were responsible: Mr Bolkestein, Mr Byrne, Mrs Diamantopoulou, Mr Liikanen, Mr Solbes Mira and Mrs Wallström,

- how many directives and regulations, for which a Business Impact Assessment was made before they were enacted, over the same period?

- What was the cumulative cost to business for those directives or regulations where an Impact Assessment is available?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(30 April 2001)

Between 1 January 2000 and 28 February 2001, the Commission adopted, on the responsibility of the Members referred to by the Honourable Member, 99 proposals for directives and regulations which were transmitted to the Council for adoption and, where necessary to Parliament.

Of these proposals, 49 were considered likely to have economic repercussions on business and were the subject of an impact assessment.

The Commission has been evaluating the business impact of legislative proposals since 1986. It endeavours to make Commission departments, Parliament and the Council more aware of firms' concerns before legislative proposals are adopted.

Every proposal of this type which could significantly affect businesses in terms of additional costs arising from alignment or new administrative procedures is the subject of an impact evaluation setting out the main problems involved and thereby enabling the Commission, the Council and Parliament to ascertain the proposal's potential impact and to gauge its implications.

The system of business impact assessment has proved its worth in evaluating the impact of legislative proposals on small and medium-sized undertakings (SMEs) but must also be seen as part of the Commission's steadfast commitment to the improvement of Community legislation. The need to have a more comprehensive impact evaluation system has become evident, particularly in the light of the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council in March 2000 which state that The European institutions must continue to pay particular attention to the impact and compliance costs of proposed regulations and should pursue their dialogue with business and citizens with this aim in mind The impact evaluation system is therefore being revised as part of a pilot project.

This pilot project was launched and will be developed at the same time as the existing system for business impact assessment (BIA), which has been used since 1986. The aim of the project is to contribute to the debate on the quality of legislation while improving the existing arrangements by incorporating the most recent impact analysis techniques. The pilot project for evaluating the impact of proposals on business activities will draw on the know-how of Commission departments, improve consultations with non-government bodies and give decision-makers clearer guidance on the foreseeable implications which proposed legislation will have for European firms and their competitiveness.