Slovenia is currently undertaking efforts to strengthen regulatory policy with the Action Plan 2019-2022. The action plan foresees the extension of the RIA guidance document to cover the assessment of non‑financial impacts and recommends the introduction of preliminary impact assessments. Currently, regulatory impact assessment (RIA) is carried out for all primary laws and for some subordinate regulations. In 2019, for 96% of the draft primary laws a RIA was conducted during or after the drafting of the legislative text. Impact assessment requirements for subordinate regulations are less stringent than those for primary laws. The development of secondary regulations does not require a quantification of the costs and benefits and assessments of the impacts are done only for some secondary regulations. The RIA process, particularly for subordinate regulations, could be strengthened by introducing a threshold test or proportionality criteria that would help determine which regulations require an in-depth assessment. The Action Plan represents a positive step in this regard as it foresees a deeper analysis of potential social and environmental impacts, among others.
Although the Action Plan introduces changes in the mandate of the General Secretariat of the Government, oversight functions remain spread across different institutions. The General Secretariat of the Government is now responsible for monitoring the implementation of stakeholder consultation. Oversight of RIA is the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Administration (MPA) as well as of the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology. The Government Office of Legislation (GoL) examines legislative proposals from government and those acts for which the National Assembly seeks the opinion of the government and is also involved in the provision of guidance relating to regulatory management tools as well as in the co-ordination on regulatory policy.
Slovenia was an early adopter of the Standard Cost Model (SCM), supported by the application of the SME test, which contributes to the assessments of economic impacts. Slovenia continues to focus the majority of its ex post evaluation efforts on reducing administrative burdens. Its webportal Stop Bureaucracy (https://www.stopbirokraciji.gov.si) allows citizens and business representatives to provide suggestions to cut red tape and monitor their implementation through the single document website (www.enotnazbirkaukrepov.gov.si). While ex post evaluation is mandatory for primary laws adopted through emergency procedures, Slovenia could expand the use of this tool to other regulations and assess whether the objectives of existing regulations are being met. Stakeholder engagement is mandatory for all primary laws and subordinate regulations. The country could increase further engagement with stakeholders by systematically informing the public in advance of planned consultations, RIAs and ex post evaluations.
For all EU directives/regulations/ ■ Always/ ▲ Yes
For major EU directives/regulations/ ■ Frequently
For some EU directives/regulations/ ■ Sometimes
Never/ ▲ No