The institutional and policy framework for regulatory quality at the federal level has remained relatively stable since the 2015 Regulatory Policy Outlook. RIA is mandatory for all primary and subordinate legislation submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers at the federal level and is usually shared with social partners as a basis for consultation. Periodic ex post review of legislation is mandatory for some legislation and sunsetting clauses are sometimes used. Within the executive, since 2013 the Agency for Administrative Simplification (ASA) within the Prime Minister’s Office, which was responsible for assessing administrative burdens, is also responsible for the whole better regulation policy. The ASA is supported by an Impact Assessment Committee that provides advice on RIA.
Consultation and engagement could be further strengthened. For example, consultation with the general public is not systematic and there is currently no single central government website listing all ongoing consultations. While RIA can be shared with social partners during consultation, it is not released for consultation with the general public. In addition, to further enhance quality checks, the Impact Assessment Committee, which currently reviews RIA only at the request of the proposing ministry, could be also earlier and more systematically involved in the review of RIAs, e.g. by introducing a regulatory agenda listing regulations to be prepared in the following months that identifies which proposals will be reviewed by the Committee. At least high-impact proposals, for instance, could be submitted to the review of the Impact Assessment Committee.
