On Tuesday 14 July, the European Commission reminded the ministers for European Affairs of the EU27 that legislative simplification at EU level must remain “ambitious” and deliver concrete results.
During an exchange of views organised by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU on the process of simplifying European legislation, the competent European Commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis, stressed the importance of “maintaining the momentum”. He also promised new ambitious proposals and the continuation of the ‘spring-cleaning’ of European legislation.
At the close of the proceedings, the Irish minister, Thomas Byrne, reiterated Dublin’s ambition to secure the adoption, by the end of 2026, of all the ‘omnibus’ legislative packages and to do everything possible to meet the deadlines set in the interinstitutional ‘One Europe, One Market’ roadmap.
According to sources, the ministers’ discussion did not bring any fundamentally new elements. They reiterated their support for targeted, co-ordinated and sustained efforts so that citizens and businesses can benefit fully and as quickly as possible from the advantages of simplification.
The Member States agreed on the need for “simplification by design”, for better regulation, notably through timely impact assessments, and they underlined the importance of not calling into question the hard-won compromises reached on sensitive files.
In their view, a fair balance must be struck between simplification and maintaining the initial core policy objectives. No new element should therefore go beyond mere simplification, except where absolutely necessary, as was the case with the ban on AI-generated ‘nudification’ in the EU’s digital legislation (see EUROPE 13864/1).
In a note dated 26 June, the previous Presidency - the Cyprus Presidency - highlighted that, of the 10 packages presented by the Commission in 2025, six had been finalised or provisionally approved.
At the end of June, the Member States adopted a negotiating mandate on part of the ‘environment’ package (‘omnibus VIII’ - see EUROPE 13895/9). The Commission tabled two other packages, one on taxation (‘omnibus XI’ - see EUROPE 13895/17) and the other on energy products (‘omnibus XII’ - see EUROPE 13895/4). The Commission’s 2026 work programme also provides for a ‘citizens’ package (‘omnibus XIII’) in the fourth quarter of 2026. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)