EC says “no policy area is out of bounds” when it comes to simplification

The Commission says it shares member states’ desire for “greater focus” on speedy implementation of EU laws.

The pledge comes in response to a new move by 13 EU members who are calling on the EU to design new EU legislation as pro-innovation and assess if current legislation is fit for purpose.

The member states are Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia.

In a joint document they call for  “deep cleaning” of existing rules to be conducted during an “implementation and consolidation year.”

They go on to demand a “European Implementation and Consolidation Year” which should focus on “implementation of existing legislation, simplification, interoperability, evaluation of cumulative burden.”

The document reads, “Every major new reporting or compliance obligation should be preceded by a review of existing obligations in the same policy field with a view to consolidation, simplification or repeal.”

BusinessEurope, the body representing business at the EU level, previously said it welcomes any push for “simplification”.

It has said that the European Commission’s own evaluation shows a steady rise in red tape-related costs: the total cost for public buyers and businesses just to run and bid on a single contract has climbed from €34,600 to €43,200.

This website asked the Commission to respond to the new document backed by the 13 EU member states – nearly half the entire 27-strong bloc.

An EC spokesperson said, “We share the objective of putting greater focus on implementation and consolidation of the existing rulebook. That is already a major part of the Commission’s simplification agenda.”

The spokesman said EC president Ursula von der Leyen tasked commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, the official responsible for simplification and implementation,  “from the outset with leading work to review EU law, eliminate overlaps and contradictions, and drive simplification across policy areas.”

“Simplifying is part of mission letters to all Commissioners.”

“No policy area is out of bounds.”

The spokesman added, “We have already launched systematic reviews across policy areas, backed by our action plan on regulatory deep cleaning adopted in April, and that work will continue throughout the mandate.”

Since 2025, the spokesman said “every Commissioner has been required to hold at least two Implementation Dialogues each year with businesses, public authorities, civil society and other stakeholders to identify where EU rules are difficult to apply, create unnecessary costs or produce unintended effects.”

In 2025 alone, the College held 51 Implementation Dialogues with more than 1,000 stakeholders from all 27 Member States.

“This,” the spokesman continued, “is backed by a broader annual cycle on simplification, implementation and enforcement: Commissioners report each year on progress in their portfolios, engage with Parliament and Council, and use the findings to shape simplification measures and the following Commission work programme.”

The EC spokesman said, “So, the substance of greater attention to implementation is already very much part of how this Commission works.

“As for the specific idea of a dedicated European Year of Implementation and Consolidation, that is one of the proposals Member States have put forward and it will feed the discussion.”

A source at one of the member states which put its name to the document told this site, “What we have seen in recent years is that the EU legislation burdened businesses and brought negative consequences, be it too complex reporting obligations or aspects raising operational costs with no added value as such.

“As a consequence we have to remedy now the situation via various omnibuses, for instance.

“Therefore, it (the letter) is essentially a call to stop acting like this for the future, always measure the consequences and think twice, focus in the provisions on the core issue and not complicate the implementation.”

Comment on the issue also came from Denis MacShane, a former Europe Minister in the UK under Tony Blair in the UK, who also told this site, “Since governments first existed complaints about red tape and bureaucratic delays have grown in parallel with demands of business or food safety and other campaigners who think government-national or supra- national – should get its thick fingers off keyboards writing regulations.”

The former Labour government minister added, “The problem is one man’s unwanted regulation is another woman’s protection from being abused.

“All democracies and the EU itself need to reduce legislative burden on business and citizens but the law of unintended consequences still obtains.”