Transcript Title

Regulatory Fitness and
Performance Programme
(REFIT)
Meeting of Business Statistics Directors Group
Presentation by Jonathon Stoodley, Secretariat-General,
European Commission
December 2014
SG C
1
Goal: Reduce regulatory burden!
How?
We started with:
Action Programme for Reducing
Administrative Burdens
2007 - 2012
• Launched by the Commission January 2007
Endorsed by European Council of Heads of State and Government
March 2007
• The Council invited Member States ‘to set national
targets of comparable ambition’
ABR programme
• Over 70 measures in 13 sectors
• Estimated saving of 25% of reporting requirements
• Company accounting, transport, food safety
pharmaceuticals, statistics, etc.
Commission moved on to focus on
key concerns of business / SMEs
• Consultation of SMEs on the TOP-10 most
burdensome EU regulatory measures
• Statistics on trade within the EU registered
strongly
• Commission follow-up on TOP-10 published in
2013
• REFIT Communication of December 2013
European Council of Heads of State
and Government
October 2013
• "Welcomes
the
recent
Commission
communication on regulatory fitness (REFIT)…"
and
• "… calls on the Commission to make further
substantial proposals in this field."
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SG C
5
European Council conclusions
June 2014
• "The European Council considers that regulatory
fitness should remain a priority in the work of the
institutions."
• "This requires a strong commitment to regulatory
simplification and burden reduction in legislative
work ... throughout the legislative cycle, at the
EU and national level."
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6
Commission follow-up
• European Council pressure for "more" results
• It is not easy in any sector: Chemicals regulation,
VAT, accounting requirements for companies, etc
• Test whether regulators and administration in the
EU can be higher performing than elsewhere in
the world
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7
Main objectives
A story we all know: Growth and jobs
• We need growth and jobs in an increasingly
competitive world
• To have the most efficient economy in the world
• Benefit from the opportunities provided by
minimum harmonisation and mutual recognition
in the Single Market
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8
Key current areas of work
•
•
•
•
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Major work on
VAT
FRIBS / SIMSTAT
Chemicals regulation
Health and safety at work
General food law
We will be looking at the extent to which Member
States have taken up options on accounting
requirements for companies
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9
New Commission
plans to strengthen
Better regulation
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10
SG C