Contribute to the European Commission's Better regulation agenda.
Consolidate RegHub consultations and other CoR better regulation tools and methodologies for collecting and analysing territorial data together into one single better regulation toolbox.
Improve synergies with betetr regulation policies and tools of other EU institutions.
The European Parliament's JURI committee voted on 17 May 2022 on the draft report on Better regulation: Joining forces to make better laws (2021/2166(INI), rapporteur: MEP Tiemo Wölken (DE/S&D)), which corresponds to the CoR opinion by Mr Zanin (IT/EPP) adopted at the CoR plenary in December 2021. Amendments which had been suggested by the CoR (Lambertz / subsidiarity team) to the EP rapporteur as a follow-up to Mr Zanin opinion made into the JURI draft report.
See in particular the following adopted compromises relating to active subsidiarity, territorial impact assessments, rural prooofings and RegHubs (3bb, 3bd, 3 be, 3 bf, 5b, 9b) :
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/20142019/plmrep/COMMITTEES/JURI/DV/2022/05-17/VotinglistBetterregulationamendmentsEN.pdf
On 29 July 2022, the European Commission published its 2021 Annual Burden Survey which takes stock of the EU's better regulation efforts in 2021 and explains their concrete findings and follow-up.
The survey highlights the Commission's long standing cooperation with the CoR on better regulation and the valuable contribution of the Committee to the work of the F4F Platform, and pays special attention to the RegHub and its unique consultation methods, its in-depth implementation reports and the added-value they bring for evidence-based policy making in the EU.
The survey presents also a detailed follow-up to the 15 opinions adopted by the F4F Platform in 2021 (3 of which drafted by CoR members) and the RegHub special report on "Overcoming obstacles to transport, green, and digital infrastructure deploymen", prepared upon the request of F4F Chair Maroš Šefčovič, and explains what commitments the Commission will make in these areas, taking into account the recommendations and findings.
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- Underscores that it is fundamental that the EU better regulation system incorporates multilevel governance in the European Union; recommends that the European Commission prioritises the collaboration with LRAs, particularly those with legislative powers, throughout the whole policy cycle;
- Notes that democratically elected LRAs still have limited influence on the shaping of the EU legislation they are required to implement: both these authorities and the CoR, their institutional representative at EU level, must be given a bigger role in the European governance system;
- Calls on the Commission to explore ways of involving regional parliaments more closely in the EU policy-making process, by harnessing the early warning mechanism;
- Calls on the EU institutions, MS and LRAs to each focus on implementing the recommendations of the Task Force on Subsidiarity, Proportionality and "Doing Less More Efficiently". Calls for these recommendations to be updated;
- Calls for the interinstitutional agreement, guidelines and toolbox on better regulation to be reviewed, incorporating the multilevel dimension of the European regulatory process;
- Calls on the Commission and MS to support businesses, particularly SMEs, when they make the investments needed to adapt to the standards required under relevant EU sectoral legislation;
- Endorses the objective of the Fit for Future Platform (F4F). Welcomes the enhanced role of the CoR in this platform. Points out that the CoR is well placed to systematically gather input from LRAs, through its members, networks and other targeted initiatives such as RegHub;
- Highlights the added value RegHub provides and calls on the Commission to consider long-term financial support for the development and consolidation of RegHub as a better regulation instrument;
- Welcomes the efforts to increase the quality of assessments through independent scrutiny and supports the setting up of the Regulatory Scrutiny Board; reiterates its call for the board to include a permanent member designated by the CoR;
- Undertakes to bring all its tools and methodologies for collecting and analysing territorial data together into one single better regulation package, to include RegHub consultations.