Aiming to ease the growing legislative overload perceived by citizens and businesses alike, Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, speaking on behalf of Ursula von der Leyen, sets out efforts to prune bureaucratic complexity and reduce administrative burdens. The agenda targets stakeholders ranging from EU enterprises—especially SMEs—to national administrations and judges struggling with regulatory webs, promising a legislative environment that's ostensibly leaner and more accessible.
This response addresses a parliamentary question from Mathilde Androuët of the PfE group, who spotlighted the surge in European legislative acts—from 164 in five years to 372 in 2024 alone—and expressed concerns about the proliferation of directly applicable regulations that complicate legal clarity and challenge Member States' sovereignty.
146 legislative files adopted in 2024 during the ordinary legislative procedure, with a known uptick in final legislative term years, suggesting that procedural timing partially explains the spike. Measures cited include a 15 billion euro reduction in administrative costs via omnibus proposals in 2025, aiming to cut administrative burdens by 25% overall, and 35% for SMEs. Notably, about 30% of planned delegated and implementing acts for 2026 have been deprioritized. The Commission signals forthcoming initiatives for regulatory simplification in the Communication on Better Regulation.
The policy stance reinforces adherence to the principle of conferral and subsidiarity, indicating that legislative increases are calibrated by necessity and legislative instrument choice to balance EU integration with national sovereignty concerns. It also highlights a tilt towards easing market access and administrative ease.
businesses may enjoy lower compliance costs, particularly SMEs, yet Member States might experience diluted sovereignty due to regulations directly applicable without national translation. EU institutions face pressure to maintain proportionality and subsidiarity, while citizens gain potential clarity but confront ongoing complexities. Administrative simplification could lighten judicial burdens, though complexity remains to be managed.
The Commission's commitment to respond within the institutional timeframe and the pledge to revisit regulatory simplification offers stakeholders signals of ongoing policy refinement on the horizon.
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