Better Regulation

Meetings Calendar 2006
January .			February .			March .
April .			May .			June .
May
	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su
	1 .	2 .	3 .	4 .	5 .	6 .	7 .
	8 .	9 .	10 .	11 .	12 .	13 .	14 .
	15 .	16 .	17 .	18 .	19 .	20 .	21 .
	22 .	23 .	24 .	25 .	26 .	27 .	28 .
	29 .	30 .	31 .	.	.	.	.
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The concept of "better regulation" is integrated in the policy-making process in a number of ways:

impact assessment ensures that better account is taken of the potential consequences of future regulations
measurement of the administrative costs imposed by EU regulations ensures that the administrative burden and hence the financial cost to business and citizens is kept to a minimum
initiatives to simplify EU law and the Commission's screening initiative contribute to cutting red tape and over-regulation and hence to more comprehensible, more transparent European regulations.

Subsidiarity, proportionality and improvement of the regulatory environment are closely linked. As the Commission stated in its annual report "Better Lawmaking" at the beginning of 2005, compliance with the subsidiarity principle obliges the Union to limit its actions to those that are necessary and effective. In compliance with the proportionality principle, the Union opts for the simplest possible methods. Measures relating to the consultation of the parties concerned, the accumulation of expertise and impact analysis, the development of alternative methods and the exchange of “good regulatory practices”, contribute to defining and fleshing out what is necessary, effective and easy to implement.

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