Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Strengthening the foundations of smart regulation – improving evaluation

Responding to the need to continually improve and strengthen governance, the European Commission has developed a comprehensive Smart Regulation policy aimed at facilitating the achievement of public policy objectives at minimum cost and improving the added value of EU intervention. Evaluation is a key Smart Regulation tool, helping the Commission to assess whether EU actions are actually delivering the expected results and ultimately improving conditions for European citizens and businesses and contributing to the EU's global role.

In its 2012 EU Regulatory Fitness Communication, the Commission re-iterated its commitment to making "the identification of unnecessary costs and areas for performance improvement an integral and permanent part of its policy-making and programming across all EU legislation." Better evaluation practices will play a crucial role in delivering on this promise.

The reforms outlined in this Communication aim to bring the Commission's evaluation system up-to-date with developments in Smart Regulation policy and make it more transparent and comprehensive. EU policies need to be regularly and systematically evaluated, including critical consideration of whether they are fit for purpose, produce the expected changes and avoid unnecessary regulatory burden. Better evaluation should increase learning and accountability and improve stakeholders' participation.

A recent consultation showed that whilst stakeholders support the general concept of evaluation, they see scope for improvement. They call for a more transparent and accessible evaluation system, with clearer planning and consistent analysis. This would help them provide relevant information and feedback and make it easier to understand what may happen after an evaluation finishes.

Drawing on existing good evaluation practice within the Commission and organisations undertaking similar analysis, this communication identifies the main areas for improvement and the changes the Commission is considering to strengthen all aspects of evaluation performance. It concentrates on retrospective evaluations. Revised evaluation guidelines, based on the suggestions presented in this communication, will shortly be put out to public consultation.

See also:
- Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT): Results and next steps

ESO: Background information: 'REFIT - Fit for growth' – Commission takes ambitious next steps to make EU law lighter http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-refit-fit-for-growth-commission-takes-ambitious-next-steps-to-make-eu-law-lighter-2/

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