SEAP takes note of today’s decision by European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho, which identifies several procedural shortcomings in how the European Commission prepared a number of recent urgent legislative proposals. The Ombudswoman finds that the Commission did not fully apply its own Better Regulation rules, amounting to maladministration.
SEAP President Emma Brown said: “This decision underlines what European affairs professionals see every day: when Better Regulation is sidelined, so are citizens, businesses and civil society. Urgent files still need proper scrutiny and consultation. The EU can move fast and still respect its own standards – the two must go hand in hand.”
SEAP supports the Ombudswoman’s recommendations to ensure a predictable, consistent and non-arbitrary application of the Better Regulation rules and calls on the Commission to reflect these principles in the upcoming revision of the Better Regulation Guidelines.