OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook 2025

In France, regulatory impact assessments (RIA) are required for all draft primary laws and major subordinate regulations and made available on the Legifrance platform. To manage regulatory burdens and rationalise the legal framework, the introduction of any new subordinate regulation is subject to a “one-in, two-out” offsetting approach. Each legislative proposal must be accompanied by five impact indicators to enable policymakers to effectively measure the achievement of policy objectives. Ex post evaluation of existing rules is conducted on an ad hoc basis by a range of institutions and typically cover a specific policy or reform. In a drive to simplify regulations for businesses, the French government conducted a series of stakeholder meetings in 2023 and a public consultation soliciting suggestions for simplification. France does not require public consultation for the development of new regulations, except for those with an impact on the environment. In practice, consultations with selected groups take place frequently but online consultations with the public remain non-systematic, except for environmental issues. When public consultations do occur, they are centrally accessible on the Vie-publique platform.

Under the authority of the Prime Minister, the Secrétariat Général du Gouvernement ensures compliance with procedures for RIA and stakeholder engagement, inter-ministerial co‑ordination, and liaison with the Conseil d’État and the Parliament. The former plays a critical role, both upstream (through its consultative function for legal quality and the control of stakeholder engagement) and downstream (as the administrative judge of last resort). The Ministère de la fonction publique, de la simplification et de la transformation de l'action publique oversees simplification efforts.

Indicators presented on RIA and stakeholder engagement only cover processes carried out by the executive, which initiates approx. 42% of primary laws in France. There is no mandatory requirement for consultation with the general public nor for conducting RIAs for primary laws initiated by the Parliament.