Why deregulation will backfire–and how to cut regulatory burden without breaking the EU Single Market

Across Europe and beyond, ‘deregulation’ and ‘simplification’ are back at the top of the political agenda. The promise is familiar: if only legislators took a chainsaw to the regulatory forest, growth would return and bureaucracy would recede. Similar calls have echoed since the 1980s, but they are now reinforced by global political figures and by parts of the EU’s own institutional and lobbying landscape.

This contribution argues that sweeping deregulation and radical simplification are structurally at odds with core EU objectives: a well-functioning internal market, a high level of consumer, environmental and safety protection, and legal certainty for economic operators. It also outlines a different path: reducing regulatory burden by refining how we regulate, rather than by dismantling the rules that hold the Single Market together. Continue reading Why deregulation will backfire–and how to cut regulatory burden without breaking the EU Single Market →

EU Legislators’ Toolbox

The EU Legislators’ Toolbox comprises approximately 350 regulatory tools that have already been tested by the European Union in at least some regulatory sectors. We are now making this document — previously used internally — accessible to all those working on new EU legislation. It is designed to support legislative drafters and those institutionally responsible for improving the quality of EU law.

Continue reading EU Legislators’ Toolbox →

The Regulatory Institute’s 10th Anniversary: Looking back and forward

Since late 2015, the Regulatory Institute has focused on a particular aspect of lawmaking that receives little attention but matters enormously: how to design laws and regulations that actually work. Rather than engaging with political choices or policy outcomes or the drafting approach, our work has concentrated on the methods, tools, concepts and structures that shape laws long before they are adopted; and ultimately determine whether they will achieve their intended purpose.

This article looks back at the Regulatory Institute’s journey over the past decade: a journey dedicated to helping lawmakers and regulators worldwide create better laws. Continue reading The Regulatory Institute’s 10th Anniversary: Looking back and forward →

Model Provisions for the Online Protection of Minors

These model provisions were designed to establish a comprehensive framework for the
protection of minors in digital environments. As children and adolescents increasingly
engage with online platforms, social media, gaming services, and other digital technologies, they face unique vulnerabilities that existing regulatory frameworks often fail to adequately address. Continue reading Model Provisions for the Online Protection of Minors →

Model Provisions for Food and Drinks Legislation

This document contains around 700 model provisions. The purpose of the model provisions is to offer policy-makers and drafters as many choices as possible as to the potential policy and regulatory elements on the subject in question, without prejudging any decision. The model provisions will, of course, need to be adapted to the legal and policy context in which they are used. In particular, obligations and powers may need to be assigned to authorities and persons other than those set out in the model provisions. The model provisions are intended solely as a source of inspiration and a checklist, without any claim to validity. Continue reading Model Provisions for Food and Drinks Legislation →

A new Role for Standards in the EU Regulatory System

The European Commission has initiated a comprehensive review of the European standardisation system. This article claims that the Commission’s initial analysis is incomplete with regard to the difficulty of salvaging a formal legal role for European standards. It describes how the standards nonetheless can keep an important role, though through the back door. Continue reading A new Role for Standards in the EU Regulatory System →

Model Provisions on the Protection of Vulnerable Persons and Persons with Special Needs

There are around six hundred model provisions included in this document. The purpose of the model provisions is to give policy-makers and drafters as many choices as possible as to the potential policy and regulatory elements on the subject in question, without prejudging any decision. The model provisions will, of course, need to be adapted to the legal and policy context in which they are used. In particular, obligations and powers may need to be assigned to authorities and persons other than those set out in the model provisions. The model provisions are intended solely as a source of inspiration and a checklist, without any claim to validity. Continue reading Model Provisions on the Protection of Vulnerable Persons and Persons with Special Needs →

How to achieve Regulatory Completeness? Large Language Models as Game Changers

Regulatory completeness is crucial for effective implementation and, consequently, for the success of regulation. The recent article “How to ensure Regulatory Completeness, by Classic Tools and Large Language Models” in the Journal of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel explains why and shows what can be done to make regulation complete. Continue reading How to achieve Regulatory Completeness? Large Language Models as Game Changers →