Introducing EU Reduction Targets on Regulatory Costs : A Feasibility Study

This report looks at the feasibility of a European Commission initiative aimed at adopting net reduction targets for regulatory costs. As many as 14 alternative options are compared in terms of their comprehensiveness, accuracy, methodological simplicity, timeliness of implementation and compatibility with existing political commitments. The study calls for the adoption of a sequential approach to cost reduction, which implies that the Commission starts setting reduction targets in selected policy areas as early as the end of 2017, and gradually builds capacity over time on the quantification of regulatory costs for all the relevant EU acquis.The report was commissioned by RegWatchEurope, the banner under which Europe's seven independent national advisory boards coordinate to address and maximise the benefits of Europe's ‘smart regulation' agenda and reduce regulatory burdens