The obligation to conduct regulatory impact assessment (RIA) has been in place since 2008 with subsequent reforms introducing methodologies for assessing economic, social and environmental impacts, including an SME Test as well as impacts on innovation and, since 2021, on marriages, parenthood and families. Despite the deepened analytical resources available to decision makers, in many cases ministries still struggle with the quantification of wider impacts. The Government has introduced capacity building initiatives in an attempt to address these problems.
Public consultations are well developed and usually take place once a draft proposal has been prepared. Policymakers would benefit from opening up consultations at earlier stages too, which are currently focused on business associations and trade unions. Requirements to consult on ex post evaluations were introduced in 2021. Ex post evaluations of existing rules originally focused mostly on administrative burdens, with three “anti-bureaucratic packages” for businesses in 2020, 2022 and 2024, which led to cost savings of at least EUR 150 million. Since 2022, systematic evaluations of individual regulations affecting the business environment have been conducted, leading to amendments of existing rules.
The Permanent Working Committee of the Legislative Council at the Ministry of Economy (RIA Committee), established in 2015, is responsible for overseeing the quality of RIAs and compliance with stakeholder engagement procedures. The Committee is composed of representatives from several ministries, checking the quality of RIAs in their respective area of competences. The Ex post Team, within the Better Regulation Unit at the Ministry of Economy, reviews the quality of ex post evaluations of regulations affecting the business environment.
All primary laws/ ▲ Yes ■ Required ● Yes, there is a regulation and a policy
Major primary laws/ ● Yes, there is a regulation
Some primary laws/ ■ Not required but allowed ● Yes, there is a policy
Never/ ▲ No ■ Not allowed