Turkey started its better regulation agenda in the early 2000s. The “By-Law on Principles and Procedures of Drafting Legislation” decree issued 17 February 2006 by the Council of Ministers (referred to as the By-Law), is the foundational framework for improving and maintaining legal and regulatory quality in Turkey.
Turkey has conducted burden reduction initiatives through simplification programmes in 2005 and 2009. It reviewed over 14 000 laws, created one-stop shops, and used e‑government tools to improve citizen and business experiences of regulation.
In order to build on the existing legal framework and to improve the regulatory environment, Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) could be more formally required when developing subordinate regulations. Currently RIA only applies to subordinate regulations if the Prime Minister’s Office requires it to be undertaken.
There is no evidence of consultation open to the general public in Turkey over the last few years. Stakeholder engagement could be improved by instituting a systematic approach to consultation on new regulatory proposals, as well as through the creation of early warning documents which inform the public of upcoming consultations.
The review of existing regulations is not a formal part of Turkey’s regulatory management practices. There are ad hoc opportunities for regulators to receive complaints from affected parties, although it is up to the individual ministry to determine whether anything further will be done with them. The practice of ex post evaluation should be systemised to inform new policy design as well as assess the progress of existing regulations.
