Examining the role of Impact Assessment in the EU decision making process (R-11520)

More than 10 years after the adoption of Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure in the regulatory process, the EU still faces challenges in applying it meaningfully. Failure to consider all relevant impacts, is feared, will not improve the regulatory process as intended in the Better Regulation scheme. Reviews of the process both from the European Court of Auditors, the European Commission and stocktaking exercises point towards failures to integrate intangible impacts and shortcomings in quantifying the tangible ones. This thesis will attempt to look at how varying the impacts included in an Impact Assessment at an earlier stage, as well as the quantification (or lack thereof) of these impacts will change its direction and the recommendations therein with the ambition of improving the quality of regulation at later stages.

Keywords:European Union, Impact Assessment, Public Consultation, Quantification, Regulation, Regulatory Design

Disciplines:Law and economics, Public economics, Economic development policy