Brussels, 08/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - On 18 January, the European Parliament will be debating the report by Dutch Liberal Bert Doorn on improvement of the Commission's SLIM initiative (simplification of legislation on the internal market). Launched in 1996, SLIM, whose third and fourth phases were recently concluded, represents the cornerstone of EU efforts to simplify and improve rules governing the single market in order to make cross-border operations simpler and thus improve companies' ability to compete on world markets. The initiative essentially aims to improve the quality of legislation, limit costs related to its implementation and reduce its volume. Indeed, 4 to 6% of Member State GNP is spent on paperwork.
SLIM teams -experts from national administrations and user representatives (businesses and other interest groups)- thus began screening the enforcement of existing legislation in 14 sectors in 1996 and issuing recommendations with a view to improvements. Some of these recommendations have been approved by the Commission and have led to the drafting of legislative proposals. Others have given rise to non-legislative measures. While the Commission's communication concludes that the SLIM initiative has been effective, it also points out the need for improving it. It recommends in particular the creation of a special group within the framework of the Single Market Consultative Committee (CCMI), whose role would be to define future guidelines for the initiative and to review "candidate" sectors, and the production of a guide clearly defining the objectives and working methods of SLIM teams.
The report by Bert Doorn calls on Parliament to support the improvements suggested by the Commission, though it regrets that the SLIM teams reviewed only 14 sectors of legislation in five years. Other criticisms: the fact that the initiative is not binding in nature (the Commission services are not required to participate actively in the simplification process) and the time it takes once a SLIM opinion has been issued for its possible development into a detailed legislative proposal. The Dutch MEP also considers that the instrument needs more staff, means and competences to guarantee the quality and efficacy of its actions. Welcoming the development of information on national simplification programmes, he nonetheless states that the Commission should go further, publishing an annual catalogue of best practice in this area in Member States. The Doorn report also notes that such complex exercises aimed at simplification would not be necessary if the quality of developing legislation were guaranteed from the start.