Thirteen member states are calling on Brussels to undergo a „deep cleaning” of European Union legislation and to eliminate rules that generate bureaucracy and costs without sufficient benefits. Romania is not among the countries that have signed the initiative.
The initiative is coordinated by Austria and supported by the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, and Slovakia.
The 13 governments have drafted an informal document - which currently does not have mandatory status - requesting a sector-by-sector review of European legislation, as reported by Euronews.
Specifically, Brussels should determine whether each regulation is still necessary, if it needs updating, or if it imposes expenses and obligations on companies and administrations that are not justified.
A new rule, only after checking the old ones
The alliance proposes that any new significant reporting or compliance obligation should be preceded by an analysis of the existing rules in the same field. These could be simplified, merged, or eliminated before the EU introduces additional requirements.
New legislative acts would be systematically evaluated based on their impact on economic competitiveness. The 13 states request that Brussels only adopt rules when national governments cannot sufficiently achieve the objectives.
Each new regulation should also include a mandatory review clause, which should be activated at least once every five years. The EU would thus verify whether the law has achieved its purpose and whether it is still necessary in its original form.
A year without a new flood of laws
The signatories propose organizing a "European Year of Implementation and Consolidation," during which EU institutions should focus on the application and simplification of existing rules, reducing duplicate reporting, and evaluating the cumulative administrative burden.
The initiators specify that current standards regarding health, safety, and labor protection must be maintained. The stated goal is a clearer and more predictable legislative framework, allowing European companies to invest and innovate with fewer bureaucratic costs.
The proposal comes as simplifying legislation has become one of the priorities of Ursula von der Leyen's second term. The European Commission has already launched several "omnibus" packages, attempting to reduce or consolidate obligations in areas such as artificial intelligence and climate policies.
Romania has not signed the document, but any subsequent changes adopted at the European level will also apply to Romanian companies and institutions, depending on the areas targeted.