Reducing burdens on business and citizens through simplification and screening
The European Council reaffirms the importance of reducing unnecessary burdens for business and citizens. In this respect it welcomes the Commission's new programme for simplifying EU legislation , and calls on the Council and the European Parliament to give high priority to progressing simplification proposals through the legislative system. It welcomes the Commission's screening initiative, notes the outcome and invites the Commission to continue to monitor pending proposals in terms of their impacts, including economic, social and environmental, with a view to modification, replacement or withdrawal, where these would be appropriate.
Revised impact assessment system
The European Council welcomes the Commission's revised impact assessment system, including the commitment to prepare integrated impact assessments for all major legislative proposals and policy defining documents in its work programme. These assessments should include exploring a range of options, drawing on sectoral analyses where available, which could potentially meet the set objectives of a proposal, including non-legislative options and further harmonisation, as appropriate. It calls on the Council and the European Parliament to make full use of Commission impact assessments as a tool to inform political decision making and to implement the inter institutional common approach to impact assessment. It reaffirms the importance of transparency in policy making and timely and effective stakeholder consultation and looks forward to the comprehensive independent evaluation of the Commission's impact assessment system to be launched early in 2006.
EU common methodology for assessing administrative costs imposed by legislation
The European Council welcomes the Commission Communication on an EU common methodology for assessing administrative costs imposed by legislation, and invites the Commission to start measuring administrative burdens, on a consistent basis and in line with transparent criteria, as part of integrated impact assessments launched as of January 2006. In this context it stresses the important contribution this methodology could play in identifying legislation in need of simplification and invites the Commission to explore options for establishing measurable targets in specific sectors for reducing administrative burdens. The European Council recognises the importance for Member States to provide, on request and in a proportionate manner, the information needed to assess administrative costs imposed by EU legislation.
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ANNEX III