COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS A simpler and faster Europe: Communication on implementation and simplification
Date: 2025-02-11
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: EU institution, EU policy, EU programme, application of EU law, approximation of laws, competitiveness, drafting of EU law, economic growth, regulatory policy, simplification of legislation

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Strasbourg, 11.2.2025  COM(2025) 47 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS A simpler and faster Europe: Communication on implementation and simplification       
 
 
I. 

INTRODUCTION 

Over the next five years, the Commission will pursue an ambitious programme, as set out in 
the  Political  Guidelines1,  with  forward-looking,  innovative  policies,  maintaining  high 
standards. These new initiatives will build on the foundations of a thriving, diverse and fair 
European Union, to make Europe an even more desirable place to live, work and invest. 

At  the  same  time,  we  will  radically  lighten  the  regulatory  load  for  people,  businesses  and 
administrations in the EU. To boost prosperity and resilience, the Commission will propose 
unprecedented simplification to unleash opportunities, innovation and growth. We will launch 
a new drive to speed up, simplify and improve EU policies and laws, make rules clearer and 
easier  to  understand  and  faster  to  implement. We  will  also  deepen  our  cooperation  with  all 
relevant institutions and stakeholders so that shared responsibility drives better results. 

Strengthening  the  EU’s  competitiveness  has  become  more  important  than  ever  in  today’s 
volatile and uncertain world. It requires a legal environment that stimulates business creation 
and growth and that protects and empowers people in the simplest, fastest and most effective 
way possible. It also requires a sharp focus on the evolving realities on the ground, coupled 
with clarity of purpose to achieve our economic, social and environmental goals by the most 
cost-efficient means possible.  

High standards can be a powerful source of competitive advantage. In many instances, they 
underpin  the  value  and  quality  of  European  products,  protect  our  citizens,  drive  innovation 
and  ensure  our  economy  is  sustainable  and  fair.  These  advantages  come  to  bear  only  if  the 
EU’s  rules  are  proportionate,  effective  and  fully  and  consistently  implemented.  Our  rules 
must  also  keep  pace  with  the  frontiers  of  human  and  technological  progress,  and  be 
responsive to global developments.  

As highlighted in the Draghi report2, the accumulation of rules over time at different levels, 
their increased complexity and challenges in implementing the rules are having a significant 
impact on Europe’s competitiveness, limiting our economic potential and our prosperity. The 
time  has  come  to  take  stock  and  shore  up  the  quality  of  our  regulatory  framework,  with  a 
view to accelerating the achievement of our agreed objectives. 

This  requires  bold  and  concerted  action,  rather  than  an  incremental  approach.  The 
Commission, the European Parliament, the Council, Member States’ authorities at all levels 
and  stakeholders  will  need  to  work  together  to  streamline  and  simplify  EU,  national  and 
regional rules and implement policies more effectively. Overcoming regulatory fragmentation 
in the single market is also necessary to drive significant additional economic growth. 

This  communication sets  out  a vision for  an implementation  and simplification agenda that 
delivers  fast  and  visible  improvements  for  people  and  business,  for  a  more  prosperous, 
decarbonised  and  resilient  EU.  The  Omnibus  packages  outlined  in  the  2025  Commission 
Work Programme will be our first deliverables of this mandate. They are only the start. This 
effort will continue over the mandate, with the ambition of stress-testing the whole acquis of 
existing EU legislation, in close cooperation with practitioners and stakeholders. 

To deliver results, this communication outlines a comprehensive set of tools, without creating 
any redundant  layers of  process  or administration.  Instead, the Commission will refocus its 
efforts  and  its  resources  towards  using  these  tools,  to  deliver  simpler  rules  and  more  cost-

1 

 
 
effective  implementation.  This  change  in  regulatory  and  corporate  culture  will  involve  our 
whole organisation. Every Commission service will deliver on this rationalisation effort.  

The Commission’s approach to implementation and simplification will be guided by the need 
to  take  stock  of  the  past,  navigate  the  present,  and  shape  the  future.  To  better  achieve  our 
policy objectives, we will simplify existing rules wherever necessary and ensure that they are 
better  implemented.  We  will  review  and  adapt  our  regulatory  framework  to  make  it  more 
responsive  to  the  needs  of  people  and  businesses.  The  Commission  will  give  due 
consideration to better law making principles and legal certainty when making simplification 
proposals.  New  better  regulation  and  simplification  tools  will  ensure  that  future  laws  are 
designed with implementation and simplification in mind right from the outset. Through all 
these actions, we will pursue a more effective and efficient delivery on our economic, social 
and environmental goals. 

II. 

ENSURING EU POLICIES DELIVER RESULTS 

Over the past years, the EU has demonstrated its commitment to tackle challenges head-on, 
agreeing on ambitious policies at a rapid pace to respond to multiple and complex crises and 
events. Our success now depends both on effective implementation and on avoiding that the 
accumulation of burdens for people, businesses and administrations defeats our purpose. 

Implementation  concerns  Member  States  primarily  when  they  bring  EU  law  into  national 
legislation  and  make  sure  it  is  enforced.  It  also  concerns  the  application  of  rules  by 
authorities,  people  and  businesses.  Even  in  areas  where  there  is  no  binding  EU  law, 
coordinated  work  on  objectives  agreed  at  EU  level  has  become  essential  to  deliver  results. 
This  coordinated  work  is  also  necessary  to  avoid  that  additional  national  requirements  not 
stemming  from  EU  law  –  so-called  ‘gold  plating’3  -  result  in  fragmentation  of  the  single 
market  and  create  an  additional  burden  for  people  and  businesses.  In  short,  it  is  a  shared 
responsibility. 

Shortcomings in implementing the rules and in completing the single market4 are a drag on 
our  prosperity  and  competitiveness.  They  can  also  undermine  the  EU’s  ability  to  meet  its 
policy objectives and to defend the Union’s values. As a result, people and businesses do not 
reap  the  full  benefits  of  EU  policies,  and  companies  often  face  significant  challenges  in 
overcoming regulatory obstacles and administrative burdens5.  

As part of the broader change in regulatory culture, the EU needs to focus on improving the 
implementation of our rules and joining forces between EU institutions, Member States and 
stakeholders. The Commission will accelerate its work on better implementation by: 

a)  working more closely with Member States 
b)  investing in administrative capacity, digital tools and data 
c)  engaging more effectively with stakeholders 
d)  swift and resolute enforcement action 

a) Working more closely with Member States 

Cooperation  with  Member  States  in  implementing  EU  law  is  the  fastest  way  to  ensure  EU 
rules  achieve  their  purpose.  It  also  helps  preventing  breaches  from  happening  in  the  first 

2 

 
 
place. For the Commission, this means stepping up dialogue with and providing more support 
to Member States to implement EU law correctly and on time. 

When  a major legal act  is  being  finalised by the European Parliament and the Council,  the 
Commission  will  systematically  prepare  an  implementation  strategy6  to  plan  how  it  will 
support  Member  States  throughout  the  implementation  process.  The  strategy  will  identify 
(legal,  administrative  or  practical)  challenges  for  transposing  and  applying  the  legal  act, 
arrangements to track progress, support measures (including for SMEs) and a clear timeline. 
The  recent  Accele-RES  strategy  is  a  good  example,  helping  Member  States  implement 
streamlined permitting procedures under the revised Renewable Energy Directive7. 

Early information from Member States and stakeholders is crucial for the Commission to 
prepare  effective  implementation  strategies  integrating  targeted  and  effective  support 
measures. For directives, Commission explanatory templates and transposition roadmaps, 
to  be complemented by  Member States,  will lead to  faster and full transposition.  Similarly, 
proactive  updates  on  national  obligations  going  beyond  the  requirements  of  EU  law  (gold 
plating) would help tackle the impacts of diverging rules across the EU. 

The  Commission  will  use  expert  groups  and  similar  settings  to  build  closer  partnerships 
between national authorities, supporting implementation and providing peer support between 
Member  States.  The  voluntary  approach  in  the  Single  Market  Enforcement  Task  Force, 
where the Commission and Member States work together to remove market barriers, can be a 
model for similar work in other sectors such as competition, telecoms or energy.  Moreover, 
EU regulatory agencies can also help achieve a consistent application of EU law, in particular 
by contributing to a common supervisory culture. 

b) Investing in administrative capacity, digital tools and data 

Effective policy implementation relies on well-equipped and efficient public administrations. 
This  requires  a  high  level  of  digitalisation  and  access  to  data  and  evidence8,  as  well  as 
appropriate staffing and skills in all administrations involved in implementation. The EU has 
a  set  of  tools  and  programmes  to  support  implementation,  monitoring  and  evaluation.  For 
example, the Technical Support Instrument helps Member States build their administrative 
capacity,  digitalise,  deliver  reforms  and  implement  EU  priorities  at  large,  with  minimal 
burden  on  Member  States.  Under  the  European  Administrative  Space  (ComPAct)9,  the 
Commission provides support to strengthen administrative capacity at national, regional and 
local levels – with a focus on skills and the digital and green transitions – and exchanges for 
civil  servants  to  share  good  practices  and  work  on  common  problems  across  borders10.  In 
addition, under the Internal Market Information System, the Commission facilitates digital 
cross-border administrative cooperation in implementing Single Market rules.  

The  Commission  will  foster  the  effective  use  of  such  tools  in  the  implementation  of  major 
new policies or legislation. 

c) Engaging more effectively with stakeholders 

Some implementation  challenges cannot  be anticipated. This  is  why the Commission needs 
regular  contacts  with  stakeholders and practitioners,  to  gather  feedback on what  is  working 
and what is not, and to identify ways to improve and facilitate implementation. 

3 

 
 
 
 
Each  Commissioner  will  host  at  least  two  implementation  dialogues  a  year  with 
stakeholders. The aim will be to assess progress and identify areas needing attention for EU 
policies to deliver results. The dialogues will target the main groups affected by EU policies 
such  as  industry,  including  SMEs,  social  partners,  regional  and  local  authorities  and  civil 
society,  aiming  for  a  balanced  representation  of  interests  and  participation. Their  outcomes 
will be presented in annual progress reports on enforcement and implementation. These will 
help identify issues of poor implementation, gold plating, over-compliance or fragmentation, 
and  uncover  opportunities  for  simplification  and  harmonisation.  These  dialogues  will  get 
underway immediately, with a first round in the first half of 2025. 

d) Swift and resolute enforcement action 

If  shortcomings  in  implementing  and  applying  EU  law  persist  despite  the  Commission’s 
support  outlined  above,  we  will  accelerate  action  to  achieve  compliance.  Sector-specific 
monitoring  and  prevention  mechanisms11  and  problem-solving  tools12  remain  useful  to 
identify  compliance  problems  and  tackle  specific  issues.  Swift  fixes  can  also  be  achieved 
through a pre-infringement dialogue13.  

Where cooperation fails to bring about timely implementation of agreed rules, infringement 
procedures are necessary, accompanied by clear communication of the reasons  for action. 
The  Commission  will  pursue  a  resolute  enforcement  action  as  guardian  of  the  Treaties,  to 
ensure that rules  are implemented, and to fight  fragmentation of the Single Market  and any 
unlawful  gold  plating14.  It  will  also  continue  to  pursue  its  strategic  approach15,  prioritising 
breaches that have the most significant impact on public and business interests.  

The  number  of  open  infringement  procedures  remains  high  (around  1 500  cases16  at  the 
beginning  of  2025),  some  of  which  are  long-standing.  The  Commission  will  continue  its 
work  to  bring  infringement  cases  to  a  close  successfully  so  that  EU  law  delivers  its 
intended benefits. If the early stages of the infringement procedure do not resolve breaches of 
EU  law,  the  Commission  will  not  hesitate  to  refer  cases  to  the  Court  of  Justice  of  the 
European Union, requesting financial sanctions where legally possible17.  

III.  MAKING EUROPE SIMPLER AND FASTER 

The green and digital transitions are transforming the world’s economies and societies, giving 
rise to intense competition for resources and innovation. Succeeding in this new environment 
requires  a  bold  approach  to  boost  our  competitiveness,  including  by  simplifying  our 
regulatory  framework,  without  undermining  our  policy  goals  and  high  standards. This  new 
approach  will  seek  to  tackle  all  sources  of  regulatory  burdens  –  reporting  obligations, 
recurring  administrative  costs,  as  well  as  compliance  costs  more  generally  –  wherever  it  is 
possible  to  identify  adequate  means  of  pursuing  the  original  regulatory  objective  by  more 
streamlined and efficient means. 

The  Commission  has  taken  steps  in  recent  years  to  reduce  the  administrative  burden.  In 
March 2023, it announced the goal to reduce the reporting burden by 25% for companies and 
administrations,  without  undermining 
its  2024  work 
programme19,  it  tabled  a  first  set  of  41  measures  towards  this  goal.  Notable  measures 
included  the  EU  Customs  Reform,  which  alone  is  expected  to  save  EUR 2.7  billion, 
adjustments  to  the  threshold  of  the Accounting  Directive,  benefiting  more  than  one  million 
companies, and a common online form for declarations on posted workers20.  

the  policy  objectives18.  With 

4 

 
 
In 2025, the Commission has made simplification, reducing the reporting burden, cutting red 
tape, streamlining the process for obtaining permits and simplifying legislation top priorities 
for  the  next  five  years.  Every  Commissioner  will  pursue  these  goals  in  their  areas  of 
responsibility, coordinated by the Commissioner for Implementation and Simplification.  

These  changes  complement  the  existing  ‘one  in,  one  out’  approach  aimed  at  offsetting  the 
costs  of  new  legislation  by  reducing  burdens21,  normally  in  the  same  policy  areas22.  The 
approach  has  been  fully  implemented  since  2022  and  led  to  Commission  proposals  that 
would bring significant net cost savings if fully adopted by the co-legislators23.  

A simplification drive, based on comprehensive reviews of and targeted changes to our rules, 
will  make  life  easier  for  people  and  companies,  including  our  33  million  SMEs  and  many 
thousands  of  small  mid-caps.  We  will  work  with  them  to  maximise  the  use  of  our  online 
feedback tools24 to learn about implementation issues and simplification opportunities. 

The  Commission  will  build  on  the  work  of  the  Fit  for  Future  Platform,  a  high-level  expert 
group  that  has  in  recent  years  provided  significant  input  to  simplification  efforts25.  The 
Platform’s  members  brought  expertise  from  national  administrations,  businesses,  social 
partners  and  civil  society,  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  and  the  Economic  and  Social 
Committee. The Network of Regional Hubs for EU Policy Implementation Review (RegHub) 
also contributed on implementation challenges at regional and local level. 

To translate this new drive into practical action, the Commission will use the following tools 
and actions: 

a)  new targets to reduce the administrative burden 
b)  prioritising new simplification measures 
c)  gradual stress-testing of the body of EU legislation 
d)  a simpler, more focused and more impactful EU budget 
e)  hands-on experience by conducting reality checks 

a)  New targets to reduce the administrative burden 

To ensure sustained and measurable efforts for the coming years, the Commission had set the 
targets to reduce reporting burdens by at least 25% for all companies and 35% for SMEs, 
without  undermining  the  policy  objectives.  However,  reporting  costs  are  only  a  subset  of 
administrative costs and, based on the feedback received, we consider necessary to follow a 
more holistic approach. The Commission will therefore apply its burden reduction targets 
to a baseline of all administrative costs. 

Using  data  available  at  EU  and  national  level,  Eurostat  has  approximated  overall  recurring 
administrative costs at EUR 150 billion in the EU in 2022.26 A 25% reduction of this baseline 
will require cutting recurring administrative costs by EUR 37.5 billion by the end of the 
mandate. Dedicated measures for SMEs will aim to meet the 35% target. We will take stock 
of  our  progress  towards  this  goal  in  annual  progress  reports  on  enforcement  and 
implementation, which will also include orientations for future simplification initiatives. 

Since the 25% burden reduction target was announced in March 2023, the Commission has 
proposed measures that are estimated to save about EUR 5 billion27. It is the responsibility of 
the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  to  maintain  or,  where  possible,  strengthen  the 

5 

 
 
 
burden reduction potential of Commission proposals during the legislative negotiations, and 
of Member States to avoid gold plating in national transpositions or application of EU law. 

In  addition  to  pursuing  these  quantified  targets  on  reduction  of  reporting  costs  and  other 
recurring administrative costs, the Commission will continue to pursue meaningful reductions 
in other regulatory compliance costs wherever a more cost-effective means of delivery of the 
policy objective can be identified. 

b)  Prioritising new simplification measures 

The  2025  Commission  work  programme  has  a  stronger  focus  on  simplification  than  ever 
before. It includes a series of Omnibus packages and other simplification proposals to tackle 
priority  areas  identified  with  stakeholders  over  the  past  year28.  We  invite  the  European 
Parliament  and  the  Council  to  consider  fast-tracking  these  files,  acting  on  the 
simplification proposals without reopening other parts of the legislation, to provide maximum 
and  swift  clarity  and  relief  to  companies.  The  work  programme  will  continue  to  flag 
simplification measures for such prioritisation in future years 

Omnibus  packages  and  other  simplification  proposals,  adopted  throughout  the  year,  will  
maximise  simplification  by  addressing  interactions  between  different  pieces  of  legislation. 
They will include, inter alia: 

•  Omnibus  package  on  sustainability.  This  proposal  will  cover  a  far-reaching 
simplification  in  the  fields  of  sustainable  finance  reporting,  sustainability  due  diligence 
and  taxonomy.  It  will  ensure  better  alignment  of  the  requirements  with  the  needs  of 
investors, proportionate timelines, financial metrics that do not discourage investments in 
smaller companies in transition, and obligations proportionate to the scale of activities of 
different  companies.  It  will  notably  address  the  trickle-down  effect  to  prevent  smaller 
companies along the supply chains from being subjected in practice to excessive reporting 
requests  that  were  never  intended  by  the  legislators.  The  carbon  border  adjustment 
mechanism requirements will be eased to the benefit of smaller importers, specifically for 
SMEs and authorities. 

•  Omnibus  package  on  investment  simplification.  This  package  will  facilitate,  among 
others, the deployment of InvestEU and the European Fund for Strategic Investments, and 
simplify reporting.  

•  Omnibus  package,  including  on  small  mid-caps  and  removal  of  paper  requirements. 
This Omnibus package will ensure that small mid-caps companies will also have adapted 
requirements  and  it  will  remove  inefficient  requests  for  paper  format  in  product 
legislation.  

•  Digital package. The review of the Cybersecurity Act and simplification of cybersecurity 
legislation  will  ensure  simplified  and  more  agile  means  to  facilitate  multiple-purpose 
reporting to avoid duplications. This will form part of the broader assessment, during the 
first year of the mandate, of whether the expanded digital acquis adequately reflects the 
needs  and  constraints  of  businesses  such  as  SMEs  and  small  midcaps,  going  beyond 
necessary guidance and standards that facilitate compliance29. Among others, a European 
Data  Union  Strategy  will  address  existing  data  rules  to  ensure  a  simplified,  clear  and 
coherent legal framework for businesses and administrations to share data seamlessly and 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
at scale, while respecting high privacy and security standards. 

•  Common  Agricultural  Policy  simplification.  This  package  will  address  sources  of 
complexity and excessive administrative burden for farmers and national administrations 
in managing, monitoring and reporting, also leveraging the potential of digitalisation. 

On top of these proposals, other initiatives in the work programme will simplify legislation to 
streamline  permit  granting,  authorisations  and  reporting  requirements.  These  include 
the  Industrial  Decarbonisation  Accelerator  Act  that  will  extend  accelerated  permitting  to 
more sectors in transition or the targeted revision of the EU’s rules on chemicals (REACH) 
will  simplify  rules  for  the  chemicals  industry  without  compromising  on  health,  safety  and 
environmental protection.  

Digital initiatives will contribute to simplification and implementation across all policy 
domains30.  Building  on  the  Digital  Wallet,  we  will  put  forward  the  European  Business 
Wallet  to  enable  businesses  to  manage  national,  cross-border  and  EU  regulatory 
requirements,  notifications,  and  compliance  processes  in  one  place  and  in  a  user-friendly 
way. 

Further simplification proposals will be explored, including a possible omnibus in the area of 
defence to help reach the investment goals that will be set out in the White Paper and to allow 
innovative companies to flourish. 

While proposals on full repeal of existing legislation or to withdraw pending proposals may 
also  be  motivated  by  other  considerations  (obsolescence  of  certain  rules,  lack  of  political 
progress  on  long-standing  proposals),  simplification  and  cost-effectiveness  considerations 
can often apply in such instances as well. 

c)  A gradual stress-testing of the stock of EU legislation 

The work programme also includes a first list of evaluations of individual laws or of whole 
policy areas (fitness checks), kickstarting a process to stress-test the stock of EU legislation. 
These  will  look  critically  at  the  potential  to  simplify  and  focus  on  finding  opportunities  to 
reduce costs and consolidate rules, taking particular account of the challenges of SMEs. The 
results will feed into the next round of simplification packages, in a virtuous circle.  

Stress-testing will be a continuous process to screen EU legislation. The aim is to ultimately 
review the entire EU acquis to capture its cumulative impacts, potential inconsistencies and 
simplify  it,  while  more  efficiently  achieving  its  policy  objectives.  Each  Commissioner  will 
ensure the stress-testing of the legislation within their areas of responsibility, under the steer 
of the Commissioner for Implementation and Simplification. Based on this process, concrete 
simplification measures will be included in the Commission work programme each year.  

d)  A simpler, more focused and more impactful EU budget 

Simplification is also essential to address the current fragmentation of the EU’s financial 
landscape and reduce the administrative burden faced by all stakeholders,  to  ensure  the 
timely and effective implementation of EU funds. As outlined in the Communication on the 
road to  the next  multiannual  financial  framework31,  the Commission  will present  in  2025  a 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
proposal for a simpler, more focused and more responsive long-term budget that delivers on 
EU  priorities  while  facilitating  beneficiaries’  access  to  EU  funding  and  maximising  its 
impact.  It  will  also  reduce  complexity  for  implementing  authorities,  while  retaining  strong 
safeguards  on  the  protection  of  the  Union’s  financial  interests.  This  proposal  will  build  on 
lessons  learned  from  the  current  programming  period  and  a  broad  consultation  of  the 
political, institutional and stakeholder levels, alongside proactive outreach to citizens. 

e)  Hands-on experience by carrying out reality checks 

The  Commission  will  reach  out  to  practitioners  in  companies,  in  particular  SMEs  and 
small mid-caps across a wide range of areas, to understand their experience on the ground 
and the impact of EU law on their activities. This exchanges at the technical level will help 
identify and solve practical issues, such as issues linked to authorisations, permitting, control 
or compliance.  

Reality checks will seek to identify any hurdles or positive experiences, and how they relate 
to EU rules, implementation and national transposition. They will help to verify whether the 
assumptions underpinning EU legislation are correct and deliver the expected benefits. 
They will also help gauge whether the simplification measures planned would generate cost 
savings and are appropriate and realistic.  

The outcome of the reality checks feed into the stress-testing of existing legislation (including 
evaluations and fitness checks) and the design of future simplification proposals. 

IV. 

IMPROVING HOW WE MAKE NEW RULES 

As  important  as  it  is  to  simplify  existing  rules,  it  is  also  essential  that  new  legislation  is 
simple, easy to understand and implement, clearly drafted and unambiguous. Implementation 
and  enforcement  issues  need  to  be  considered  from  the  moment  when  the  Commission 
designs  its  proposals,  as  set  out  in  the  Better  Regulation  guidelines  and  toolbox32,  and 
throughout the legislative process. 

The  EU  can  build  on  its  better  regulation  approach,  recognised  as  among  the  best  in  the 
OECD,  including  as  regards  consultations,  evaluations  and  impact  assessments33.  It  also 
benefits from the work of the Regulatory Scrutiny Board, which ensures the high quality of 
evidence underpinning legislative proposals.  

Nevertheless, most companies – SMEs in particular – see regulatory requirements and their 
cumulative  impact  as  the  greatest  challenge  to  setting  up  and  growing  their  business  in  the 
EU.  This  requires  strengthened  examination  of  the  impacts  of  intended  new  legislation  on 
competitiveness,  SMEs  and start-ups  as  well as  small  mid-caps.  It  also  merits  more careful 
consideration by the European Parliament and the Council of the impact of their amendments 
during  the  legislative  process.  Closer  scrutiny  of  the  terms  of  empowerments  inserted  in 
legislation,  and  subsequently  of  relevant  delegated  and  implementing  acts  will  also  be 
necessary. 

To tackle these challenges, a new approach to the legislative process is needed, through: 

a)  reinforced SME and competitiveness checks 
b)  scrutiny of delegated and implementing acts, and related empowerments 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
c)  smart and digital delivery integrated in the design of EU laws 
d)  a simple methodology to assess the impact of significant amendments 

a)  Reinforced SME and competitiveness checks 

The  reinforced  SME  and  competitiveness  checks  will  be  applied  systematically  to  all 
envisaged legislation with foreseeable effects on companies, particularly on small businesses, 
in order to look more closely at such impacts. The competitiveness check considers four key 
aspects:  cost/price  competitiveness,  international  competitiveness,  capacity  to  innovate,  and 
impacts on the competitiveness of SMEs. The check will have a stronger sector focus. It will 
assess  the  competitive  position  of  EU  companies  in  the  sectors  most  affected  by  each 
proposal using indicators and qualitative information, providing  a proxy of the competitive 
position of EU companies affected  to  better understand the cumulative  impacts  on certain 
sectors,  such  as  those  identified  in  the  Draghi  report  as  being  key  for  European 
competitiveness.  The  Commission  will  then  consider  the  most  appropriate  mitigating 
measures where competitiveness issues are identified. 

The  Commission  will  follow  up  on  the  recommendations  of  the  Fit  for  Future  Platform 
opinion, which suggested ways to renew the SME test34. The impact assessments of relevant 
legislation  will  present  more  clearly  the  impacts  on  SMEs,  as  well  as  supportive  and 
mitigating  measures,  improving  the  quality  of  the  information  available  to  the  College  of 
Commissioners  and  the  co-legislators.  In  addition,  the  analysis  of  the  indirect  effects  of 
legislation on SMEs will be strengthened. All evaluations and fitness checks will also contain 
a dedicated analysis of efficiency and effectiveness of policies for SMEs. 

b)  Scrutiny of delegated and implementing acts, and related empowerments 

The Commission adopts a high number of delegated35 acts and implementing36 acts every 
year, mandated by legislation adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. Many of 
these acts are technical and have limited impacts, which would already have been considered 
when  proposing  the  basic  legislation,  and  therefore  do  not  require  a  dedicated  impact 
assessment.  

However,  when  the  Commission  has  to  choose  between  policy  options  and  there  are 
significant impacts  which were not taken into account when preparing the Commission 
proposal on the basic legislation, delegated and implementing acts will be subject to an 
impact  assessment37.  Even  when  there  are  no  policy  choices,  if  significant  impacts  are 
expected,  the  Commission  will  present  a  cost  or  cost-savings  analysis.  Where  relevant, 
particular attention will be paid to the impact on SMEs.  

During  the  legislative  process,  the  Commission  will  carefully  consider  the  implications  of 
relevant  empowerments  proposed  by  the  co-legislators  for  the  Commission  to  adopt 
delegated  and  implementing  acts,  with  the  aim  of  avoiding  their  proliferation  as  well  as 
unnecessary  complexity and costs. 

c)  Smart and digital delivery integrated in the design of EU laws 

The  content  of  an  initiative  needs  to  be  of  good  quality,  meaning  easy  to  understand, 
unambiguous  and  sufficiently  clear  to  allow  for  univocal  translation  into  all  the  official 
languages of the Union, and its design needs to look ahead to its actual implementation.  

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Future implementation  issues can  best be identified through early dialogue and cooperation 
with Member States, regional and local authorities, social partners and other stakeholders. To 
achieve this goal, the legal and practical aspects of implementation will become part of 
stakeholder consultations and impact assessments where appropriate. 

The Commission  will deliver  digital-ready policies, by ensuring that digital considerations 
are embedded from the outset38 and using innovative tools such as regulatory sandboxes to 
‘test’  policy  options  with  Europe’s  business  base39.  We  will  also  advance  cross-border 
interoperability40  among  public  administrations,  as  well  as  extend  the  use  of  e-platforms 
such as the Single Digital Gateway41, and the re-use of existing data, including via the pre-
filling of forms, for current or future compliance requirements42. 

To  lighten  reporting  burdens  and  compliance  costs,  we  will  further  embed  the  ‘digital  by 
default’  and  ‘once-only’  principles  in  partnership  with  national,  regional  and  local 
authorities and the relevant EU agencies.  

d)  A simple methodology to assess the impact of significant amendments 

The Commission will put forward suggestions to the co-legislators on a simple methodology 
for  assessing  the  impacts  of  their  significant  amendments,  to  test  and  showcase  the 
feasibility  of  carrying  out  such  assessments  without  unduly  delaying  the  legislative 
process. Drawing as much as possible on existing tools and models and on existing data, this 
methodology  could  provide  an  estimate  of  the  administrative  costs  of  significant 
amendments, together with a more informative presentation of other costs. The Commission 
will put forward these suggestions for consultation with co-legislators in the second quarter 
of 2025. 

V.  WAY FORWARD: PARTNERSHIP AND CO-OWNERSHIP 

In this Communication, the Commission has laid out an ambitious agenda for simplification 
and implementation to boost competitiveness, prosperity, policy delivery and resilience in the 
EU. Achieving these goals will require a strong commitment from  all other institutions and 
stakeholders, including in particular the European Parliament and the Council. 

National, regional and local authorities will also be essential partners to turn ambitions into 
concrete  actions,  by  identifying  opportunities  for  simplification,  suggesting  stakeholders  to 
invite in the new consultation activities (implementation dialogues and reality checks) and by 
multiplying simplification measures by translating them to all levels of governance.  

The principles of partnership and cooperation will guide the Commission’s work: 

a)  reporting regularly on progress, ensuring transparency and accountability 
b)  engaging with the co-legislators to create simpler and more effective EU rules 

a) Reporting regularly on progress, ensuring transparency and accountability 

The Commission will report regularly on progress made. Each Commissioner will present an 
annual  progress  report  on  implementation  and  enforcement  in  his  or  her  area  to  the 
respective Parliament Committee and Council formation. These reports will present progress 
on key policy objectives, as well as on enforcement action, implementation, and support and 
simplification measures. The reports will also take stock of stakeholder dialogues (including 

10 

 
 
 
implementation  dialogues),  stress  tests  and  reality  checks.  They  will  outline  any  additional 
measures potentially needed. 

The  Commission will present an overview report, promoting accountability and follow up 
in the annual implementation and simplification cycle. The Commission will also publish on 
its  Europa  website  user-friendly  information  on  topics  such  as  progress  on  the  burden 
reduction  targets,  enforcement  actions  and  implementation  of  EU  law  at  national  level, 
including interactive maps and customisable graphs. 

Annual implementation and simplification cycle 

e
l
c
y
c

l

a
u
n
n
A

▪  Commissioners launch process  

of the two implementation dialogues of the year. 

▪  Commissioners prepare annual progress reports on  

enforcement and implementation. 

▪  Commissioners meet Parliament Committees and Council 
configurations to present reports and simplification work. 

▪  Commissioners start preparation of simplification  

measures to be presented in the Commission Work Programme. 

▪  An annual Overview Report on Implementation and 

Simplification is published. 

▪  Adoption of Commission Work Programme, including significant 
simplification measures and annual plan of fitness checks and 
evaluations, as part of the stress test. 

b) Engaging with the co-legislators to create simpler and more effective EU rules 

The  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  have  a  central  role  to  play  in  creating  simple 
and effective rules at the lowest administrative cost for people and companies.  

In  2016,  both  institutions  committed  to  the  principle  of  assessing  the  impacts  of  their 
substantial  amendments  when  appropriate.43  This  can  include  amendments  that  increase 
costs, create the risk of additional adverse impacts or significantly reduce the simplification 
potential of a Commission proposal. However, the European Parliament and the Council do 
not do so in practice.   

The Commission therefore calls on the European Parliament and the Council to put in place 
the  necessary  processes  and  resources44.  While  amendments  cannot  be  subject  to  a  full 
impact  assessment  given  the  tight  timeframe  of  negotiations,  it  should  be  possible  for  each 
institution to use a simple methodology to assess their costs, as mentioned earlier. 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Good implementation  and  simplification  are a joint  endeavour  involving  all EU institutions 
throughout the whole legislative process. Simplification measures should therefore be clearly 
identified  and  recognised  by  the  co-legislators,  so  that  they  can  be  handled  in  a  focussed 
way with priority to ensure that the benefits of simplification are delivered swiftly.  

The Commission stands ready to work closely together with Parliament and Council to these 
ends,  including  by  renewing  the  Interinstitutional Agreement  on  Better  Lawmaking  to 
clarify how best to achieve these goals.  

1 Political Guidelines 2024-2029 | European Commission. 
2  2024  report  by  Mario  Draghi  on  the  future  of  European  competitiveness:  https://commission.europa.eu/ 

topics/strengthening-european-competitiveness/eu-competitiveness-looking-ahead_en#paragraph_47059. 

3  ‘Gold  plating'  is  a  widely  used  term  in  the  context  of  the  implementation  of  the  EU  law,  which  refers  to 
additional  national  obligations  that  go  beyond  EU  requirements.  In  practical  terms,  it  is  considered  as  an 
imposition  of  extra  requirements  and  administrative  burden  (norms,  guidelines  and  procedures)  interfering 
with the expected policy goals to be achieved by EU legislation. 

4  2024  report  by  Enrico  Letta  on  the  future  of  the  Single  Market:  https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/ 

ny3j24sm/much-more-than-a-market-report-by-enrico-letta.pdf 

5 Draghi report. 
6 Better Regulation Guidelines, SWD(2021)0305 final and Tool 38 of the Better Regulation Toolbox. 
7  The  streamlined  permitting  procedures  are  crucial  for  meeting  the  2030  renewable  energy  targets.  The 
Commission supports this work by holding structured dialogues and bilateral meetings with Member States to 
discuss  transposition  plans,  particularly  for  permitting.  https://energy.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-adopts-
guidance-eu-countries-implementing-revised-directiv es-renewable-energy-and-energy-2024-09-02_en 

8  See  recent  TSI  project  “Building  capacity  for  evidence-informed  policymaking  in  governance  and  public 

administration in a post-pandemic Europe”. 

9 European Commission, Enhancing the European Administrative Space (ComPAct), COM(2023) 667 final. 
10 The public administration cooperation and exchange programme (PACE) facilitates exchanges on topics such 
as  professionalisation  of  public  administration,  improving  administrative  performance,  green  and  digital 
public administration. 

11  For  example,  the  Single  Market Transparency  Directive  and  the  Proportionality Test  Directive  to  avoid  the 
creation  of  new  barriers  and  obstacles,  the  Single  Market  Scoreboard,  the  European  Semester’s  country-
specific  reports,  the  National  Energy  and  Climate  Plans,  the  Climate  Action  Progress  Report,  the 
Environmental Implementation Review and national Action Plans in the area of fisheries. 

12 For example, tools such as SOLVIT, FIN-NET, and Your Europe empower people and businesses to fully use 
their rights in the single market. They provide clear information, assistance on specific problems and problem-
solving. 

13 Known as EU Pilot dialogue, whose success rate was 75% in 2024. This form of dialogue is used when it is 

likely to achieve faster compliance than a formal infringement procedure. 

14 E.g. when EU legislation establishes fully harmonised rules. Moreover, the Commission may propose full 

harmonisation more frequently, in fields where it is possible, in order to ensure a level playing field across the 
Single Market, European Commission, A Competitiveness Compass for the EU COM(2025) 30 final. 

15 European Commission,  EU law: Better results through better application (C(2016)8600) and Enforcing EU 

law for a Europe that delivers, COM(2022)0518 final. 

16 Over 900 of these cases concern the incomplete or incorrect transposition of directives. 
17  The  Commission  systematically  asks  the  Court  to  impose  financial  sanctions  in  the  form  of  a  lump  sum 
payment and a daily penalty payment when a  Member State fails to take the necessary measures to comply 
with an earlier Court judgment finding an infringement of EU law (Article 260(2) TFEU) and when a Member 
State  fails  to  notify  measures  transposing  a  directive  adopted  under  a  legislative  procedure  (Article 260(3) 
TFEU). In 2023 and 2024, the Commission referred 134 infringement cases to the Court of Justice, including 
a request for financial sanctions in 55 of these cases. 

18 European Commission, Long-term competitiveness of the EU: looking beyond 2030, COM(2023) 168 final. 
19  European  Commission  work  programme 2024  –  Delivering  today  and  preparing  for  tomorrow  – Annex  II, 

COM(2023) 638 final. 

20  In  2024  the  Commission  presented  a  proposal  for  a  Regulation  setting  up  a  multilingual  public  interface 
implementing a voluntary standard form for the declaration of posted workers. The average reduction in the 

12 

 
 
 
 
time  required  to  complete  a posting  declaration  using  the  standard form  is  estimated  at  approximately  73% 
compared  to  the  average  time  currently  required  across  the  EU.  This  will  boost  workers’  protection  by 
increasing the transparency of postings and help Member States carry out effective and targeted inspections. 

21 This includes recurrent and annualised one-off costs 
22 European Commission, Better Regulation: Joining forces to make better laws, COM(2021) 219 final. 
23 These savings are based on the initiatives adopted by the Commission, and are estimated at EUR 7.3 billion in 
2022,  EUR 6.3  billion  in  2023  and  EUR 260  million  in  2024  (a  transition  year  at  the  end  of  the  previous 
Commission mandate, with a lower level of legislative  activity). Some of these measures have however not 
yet been adopted or the cost saving potential has been reduced by amendments to the proposed legislation. 
24  Companies  facing  legal  or  administrative  barriers  in  a  Member  State  can  report  the  obstacles  via 
https://fosmo.youreurope.europa.eu/ and business associations or other organisations with several companies 
can contact grow-single-digital-gateway@ec.europa.eu to report barriers. They can first get personalised help 
and advice through https://asf.youreurope.europa.eu/. 

25  Over  its  four-year  mandate,  the  Platform  prepared  41  opinions  and  260  specific  suggestions.  Several 
Commission  flagship  initiatives  drew  from  this  expertise,  including  the  VAT  in  the  Digital  Age  package, 
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products, the Gigabit Infrastructure Act, the Interoperable Europe Act, the Banking 
Union package and the Listing Act. 

26  The  calculations  follow  a  pragmatic  approach  and  are  based  on  previous  work  and  take  into  account  the 
estimates of burden by the High-Level Group on Administrative Burdens in 2012 and observed trends in in 
the burden in the period 2012-2022 for some Member States for which the data are available.  

27  These  include  the  41  initiatives  adopted  alongside  the  2024  Commission  work  programme,  as  well  as 
subsequent  Commission  proposals  such  as  the  simplification  package  for  agriculture.  These  savings  were 
estimated using the EU standard cost model. 

28 A call for evidence on the rationalisation of reporting requirements was open for feedback from stakeholders 
until  December  2023.  Approximately  200  respondents  provided  their  input,  complemented  by  targeted 
discussions with associations and other stakeholders such as workshops with industry (including SMEs). 

29 The digital acquis includes, among others, the General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Governance Act, 
the Data Act, the Cybersecurity Act, the Cyber Resilience Act, the EU Chips Act and the Artificial Intelligence 
Act. 

30 See also section IV(c) below, ‘Smart and digital delivery integrated in the design of EU laws’. 
31 COM(2025) 46 final. 
32  https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-making-process/planning-and-proposing-law/better-regulation/better-

regulation-guidelines-and-toolbox_en.  

33 Based on OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook 2021 | OECD. The consultation process will also be improved by 

the change to bring in implementation dialogues and reality checks as mentioned earlier. 

34 Final opinion SME_test.pdf (europa.eu). The current SME test is defined in tool #23. The possible effects on 

small mid-caps should also be considered, to the extent that these can be distinguished. 

35  Under Article  290  of  the  Treaty  on  the  functioning  of  the  EU  (TFEU),  delegated  acts  may  supplement  or 

amend certain non-essential elements of a legislative act if the latter act delegates such powers. 

36 Where  uniform  conditions  for  implementing  legally  binding  Union  acts  are  needed,  those  acts  shall  confer 

implementing powers on the Commission under Art. 291 TFEU. 

37 Cf. tool #42 of the Better Regulation toolbox. 
38  As  part  of  its  digital-ready  policymaking  framework,  the  Commission  has  developed  a  new  Legislative, 
Financial  and  Digital  Statement  to  accompany  its  proposals.  The  chapter  on  the  digital  dimension  includes 
essential  information  on  the  digital  aspects  of  proposals  and  serves  as  the  Commission’s  interoperability 
assessment report, as mandated by the Interoperable Europe Act. It ensures that the Commission thoroughly 
assesses digital impacts when drafting proposals so that they are fit for the digital age. 

39 As foreseen for instance under the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act. 
40 Interoperable Europe solutions (available on Interoperable Europe Portal) will enable public administrations 

to develop inter-connected digital public services, facilitating the free flow of data across borders. 

41 The single digital gateway facilitates online access to information, administrative procedures, and assistance 

services that EU citizens and businesses may need in another Member State. 

42 This can include, for example, drawing on available data from  satellites. EU satellites can remotely provide 

reliable and comparable near-real time reporting data and predictions in a cost-efficient manner. 

43 See  paragraph 15 of  IIA-BL: The European Parliament and the Council will, when they consider this to be 
appropriate  and  necessary  for  the  legislative  process,  carry  out  impact  assessments  in  relation  to  their 
substantial amendments to the Commission’s proposal. The  European Parliament and the Council will,  as a 

13 

 
 
 
 
general  rule,  take  the  Commission’s  impact  assessment  as  the  starting  point  for  their  further  work.  The 
definition of a ‘substantial’ amendment should be for the respective Institution to determine. 

44 The Court of Justice has indicated that, although there is no legal requirement to carry out impact assessments, 
whose content is also not binding, the EU legislature must be able to clearly set out the basic data taken into 
account  when  making  its  choices,  in  particular  where  any  burden  is  imposed.  The  Court  confirmed  in  its 
judgment  in  cases  C-541/20  to  C-555/20  -  Action  for  annulment  –  First  package  of  mobility  measures 
(‘Mobility  Package’)  –  4 October 2024 -that  onerous  requirements  introduced  in  the  legislative  process  and 
for which the co-legislators cannot demonstrate the underlying basic data may be successfully challenged and 
annulled by the Court. 

14