The European Commission has unveiled a comprehensive plan to modernise EU lawmaking, aiming to create legislation that is clearer, simpler, and more efficiently enforced, a long-standing target of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The Commission released a five-point action plan. Guided by the vision of implementing a “simplicity by design” system, as von der Leyen called it, it aims to ensure laws are easy to understand and enforce. Other targets of the new action plan aim to strengthen the regulatory framework to enhance transparency and stakeholder engagement, and to conduct regulatory deep cleaning to address inconsistencies. This part of the plan will start in 12 priority areas identified by the Commission. Finally, the plan will tackle regulatory gold-plating to ensure smoother integration between member states’ legislation and the EU single market.
“Outdated, excessive or overlapping laws must be detected and corrected. New proposals need to be more focused, implementable and enforceable. This is simplification in practice,” said Commissioner for Economy, Valdis Dombrovskis.
This modernisation effort is presented as essential to European competitiveness amid intense global shifts and strains. The initiative builds on President von der Leyen’s Political Guidelines for 2024-2029 and on a previous Communication titled “A Simpler and Faster Europe.” A more dynamic single market is one of the main political targets von der Leyen is seeking to achieve during her second mandate. Commenting on the plan, von der Leyen said that “is a critical contribution to bolster our competitiveness.”
To achieve this ambitious plan, the Commission is now calling on the European Parliament and the European Council for help, with Dombrovskis saying that “we call on the European Parliament and the Council to join us in this essential effort. The EU exists to deliver results for our citizens and businesses, not to create red tape.”
