EUROCHAMBRES: the new Regulatory Scrutiny Board needs to be fully separated from the ‘political imperative’

BRUSSELS, 8-6-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — EUROCHAMBRES expects an ambitious Interinstitutional Agreement on better regulation, paving the way to the establishment of a wholly independent and jointly mandated regulatory scrutiny board. This was the main message addressed today by EUROCHAMBRES to the three EU institutions during a major conference organised in the European Parliament.

While welcoming the new Regulatory Scrutiny Board as a step in the right direction, EUROCHAMBRES pointed out that the scrutiny process needs to be fully separated from the ‘political imperative’. The Commission insists that the officials leading on a dossier should also be responsible for assessing the impact, so it is vital that the assessment is screened by external experts. This oversight facility should be available also to the Parliament and Council and help ensure that the principles of evidence-based policy-making are respected throughout the codecision process.

“The only way to achieve this is to have an external regulatory scrutiny board independent from the three EU institutions, but mandated by all of them. Vice-President Timmermans is a big football fan and, like a new coach, he needs to convince the players to adopt a different formation”, said Arnaldo Abruzzini, EUROCHAMBRES’ Secretary General.

If he fails to do so, the new approach to policy-making proposed by the Commission will only have a symbolic impact, warned EUROCHAMBRES.

Further information: Mrs Typhaine-Beaupérin Holvoet, Tel. +32 2 282 08 80, beauperin@eurochambres.eu Press contact: Ms Guendalina Cominotti, Tel. +32 2 282 08 66, +32 474 88 41 73, cominotti@eurochambres.eu All EUROCHAMBRES’ press releases can be found here

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