SEAP President Emma Brown has responded to the European Ombudsman’s recent finding of maladministration in the European Commission’s handling of urgent legislative proposals:
“The European Ombudsman’s decision is a timely reminder that urgency may justify speed, but it should never justify opacity.
Across three cases (the sustainability Omnibus, the Common Agricultural Policy revision and migrant smuggling legislation), the Ombudsman found procedural shortcomings in how the Commission applied its Better Regulation rules when preparing proposals it considered urgent. These included omitted impact assessments and public consultations, and delays in publishing supporting analytical documents. Taken together, the Ombudsman concluded that these shortcomings amounted to maladministration.
At SEAP, we have consistently argued that Better Regulation is not a procedural formality. It is the mechanism through which EU law-making earns its legitimacy. The real test is not only whether decisions are taken faster, but whether they are taken transparently, inclusively and on the basis of sound evidence. Speed and thoroughness are not opposites.
The Commission’s renewed focus on Better Regulation framework is a concrete opportunity to act on this. We echo the Ombudsman’s recommendations and encourage the Commission to define clearly what constitutes urgency, record and explain any derogations from normal procedures, and establish minimum procedural standards that cannot simply be waived because of political pressure or compressed timelines.”
Read the Ombudsman’s decision here.