The European Commission appears to rarely assess the economic and social consequences of planned legislation, effectively disregarding its own established rules for doing so. According to a recently published study by Gesamtmetall, an industry association reported in “Die Welt am Sonntag”, the Brussels authority introduced 123 directives and regulations last year, passing over 1,000 technical legal acts-yet only completed 25 “Impact Assessments.”
Oliver Zander, CEO of Gesamtmetall, argued that such assessments are crucial within the EU context because decisions often affect the distinct legal systems of all 27 member states. He pointed out that many regulations issued concern either cross-border commerce or the entire internal market. “The lax handling of consequence assessments at the EU level is surprising, wrong, and dangerous,” Zander stated.
Government officials in Brussels defended their approach. A spokesperson for the authority clarified that the number 25 should not be mechanically compared to the total volume of Commission legal acts. They explained that the vast majority of these rules simply address technical details and do not create significant burdens. Consequently, complete impact assessments are deemed unnecessary for those types of regulations. These comprehensive studies are reserved for areas where major political decisions must be made and where substantial economic, social, or environmental effects are anticipated.
