EU countries call for 12-month pause on new legislation

Austria and 10 other European Union countries have called for a 12-month pause on the adoption of new EU legislation, proposing a “year of simplification” to reduce bureaucracy and review existing rules.

The initiative was outlined in a document cited by Politico. In addition to Austria, it was signed by Germany, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Portugal and Hungary.

“We can’t go on tabling new legislative proposals when existing rules have not been fully implemented,” Austrian Minister for European Affairs Claudia Bauer said.

Bauer said the European Union’s current efforts to reduce bureaucracy largely amount to “ex-post simplification”, arguing that efforts to streamline regulations should begin before new legislation is adopted.

“Simplification should start before legislation is adopted,” she said, adding that proposed laws should undergo a thorough assessment to determine whether they are consistent with the goal of improving economic competitiveness.

The 11 countries are also calling for all new regulations to undergo a review every five years.

Under their proposal, Brussels would devote a full year to taking stock of existing legislation and ensuring that rules already adopted are properly implemented.

“Such an effort should not be viewed as deregulation, but as an exercise in legislative deep-cleaning,” the document says.

By Vugar Khalilov