Valerie Chairs European Committee C

On Monday 8 February 2016, I chaired European Committee C which considered:

(a) Commission Communication: Better regulation for better results – An EU Agenda
(b) Proposal for an Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Regulation
(c) Letter from the Minister for Europe to the Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee dated 28 October 2015.
(d) Proposal for an Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making

Documents A and B together with the documents: ‘Better Regulation Guidelines’, ‘a Better Regulation Toolbox’ and ‘Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT) State of Play and outlook’, comprise the Commission’s Better Regulation Package of 19 May 2015.

The Commission’s Better Regulation Package is an attempt to refresh and take forward efforts to improve the quality of the EU. The package focueses on better preparation for legislation, increased scrutiny and increased consultation.

The main elements of the package are:

– The production of ‘roadmap’ and ‘inception impact assessments’ at an early stage of formulating legislation to permit citizens and stakeholders to provide views before drafting of legislation begins.
 
– ‘lighten the load’ web portal inviting views on existing EU legislation and initiatives.
 
– A strengthened Regulatory Scrutiny Board including independent members to examaine the fitness of proposed legislation.
 
– Greater transparency of the preparation of EU subordinate legislation.

The Committee recommended these documents for debate because the package is importantly could affect scrutiny of EU legislation. The Better Regulation also features in the UK’s current renegotiation of its relationship with the EU.

Anna Soubry MP and David Lidington MP spoke on behalf of the Government.