Conference on better lawmaking in Europe 30 January

Eurochambres, the European association of chambers of commerce and industry, announces an interesting conference to be held in Brussels on 30 January in the European Parliament: "What next for Better Law-Making in Europe."

For an update on the issues, see a recent article by EU Issue Tracker.

New RIA resources (APEC/Mexico)

The Mexican Federal Regulatory Commission ( COFEMER ) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC ) held in Mexico City, on 7 and 8 November, their third Workshop on "Final Guidance and Capacity Development Programme for Regulatory Impact Assessment " (available from COFEMER.)

The purpose of the workshop was to share experiences and best practices in regulatory reform, contributing to improving the competitiveness and well-being of the economies of the Asia -Pacific region. The workshop brought together civil servants from various countries in the Asia - Pacific region, including Chile, South Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam, and international experts. The workshop approved the final version of a guide for assessing the impact of regulation, to which is appended a volume of case studies, and a joint training programme to enable knowledge transfer to regulators and government officials in the participating economies.

This was the third and final workshop of the APEC - Mexico Project "Development and implementation of methods to improve the quality of regulation and Regulatory Impact Assessments," aimed at increasing the openness of markets, transparency and economic growth.

Conference on quality of legislation Brussels, 20 Sept.

This blog has always supported the idea that smart regulation starts with good drafting.  The Legal Service of the European Commission is holding its 18th seminar on quality legislation on the theme "Ensuring the quality of drafting of legislation in a multilingual context – Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta." It is taking place in Brussels on 20 September 2013. The programme of the event is online, with the minutes and documentation from the previous seminar on the issue as viewed in Poland.

A deserved break for your blogger

From your blog editor, Charles-Henri Montin, many thanks to readers and contributors for their support.
All through August, only exceptional news will be reported.
Wishing you a restful holiday period, I leave you to reflect on future resolutions for smart regulation, on the invitation of our friend Daniel Tsygankov from Moscow.

"Nudging in Europe" (Workshop 12-13 December)

Top expert Alberto Alemanno is organising (with A.L. Sibony) a workshop on how EU regulators can use recent insights of behavioural sciences to design smarter regulation. The event will take place in Liège on 12-13 December, and Alberto is calling for contributions (deadline 1 October).
The announcement contains the promise of fruitful exchanges, and is well worth reading, even if you cannot attend. Here is an extract:
"A growing body of evidence suggests that insights from the behavioural sciences - from psychology and behavioural economics to neurosciences - can help design public policies that work better, cost less, and help people to achieve their goals. By showing that individuals deviate in predictable ways from neoclassical assumptions of rationality, behavioural sciences may help policy makers and administrative agencies to design policies that accommodate how people really behave, not how they are assumed to behave.
Under both UK Prime Minister Cameron and US President Obama, policy makers have recently been encouraged to draw on behavioural and social sciences insights in the design or implementation of new regulations." (for the rest, go to Alberto's blog).

Call for contributions for book on legislative drafting

(Announcement from International Association of Legislative Drafting and Law Reform Lawyers I.A.L.D.L.A.R.L.) "Cambridge Scholars Publishers U.K. have agreed to publish a new title: "International Guidelines on Legislative Drafting and Law Reform". The major purpose of this publication is to demonstrate the different approaches and methods of legislative drafting and law reform projects in different jurisdictions of the civil law, common law, EU law and Islamic law jurisdictions within developing and developed countries. We welcome contributions and articles on the subject by the speakers/presenters at our recently concluded conference as well as other authors. Experts interested in contributing can contact the Editor of the series (tonyeclintonjaja@yahoo.com)."
References to the first book in the series of publications of this International Association (July 2012) and the September 2012 conference can be found on this blog (20 July 2012 post : good legal drafting for smart regulation).

Doing Business: become a contributor !

The World Bank Group is seeking specialists to participate in its pro bono global research project. The Doing Business Report is a publication of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation that benchmarks business regulation in 185 countries worldwide. To volunteer for research work, visit "become a contributor" page.

Goldplating high on the agenda in IRRC Berlin 31 Jan

As previously reported, The Swedish Better Regulation Council (Regelrådet) and The Board of Swedish Industry and Commerce for Better Regulation (NNR) have published a joint report with recommendations for how to improve implementation of EU legislation: 'Clarifying Gold-Plating – Better Implementation of EU Legislation'. The joint report has not only broken new ground by the coming together of two organisations of different starting points, expertise and approaches it has also been very well received by the Government Offices of Sweden. The government has expressed its appreciation in a letter to the organisations along with feedback on the report, stating that the report and its recommendations will serve as an excellent starting point to the undertaking of evolving better regulation, especially when negotiating and implementing EU legislation. Furthermore the recommendations will be utilised in the Swedish Government´s work to improve support on impact assessments to regulators. The Swedish Government is considering the suggestions made. However, in order to achieve change, the question of over- implementation of EU-legislation, so- called gold-plating, needs to be lifted to an EU- Institutional level, as well as being prioritised by all member states in a joint effort. There are essential tools available, which can be used on both national and EU level, for identifying the impact of EU-legislation on business and avoiding unnecessary burden on business. These are, for example, impact assessments and consultation with stakeholders. By using these tools and forming joint strategies for mitigating negative effects of gold-plating on business, a fractured single market can be avoided. In order to achieve results the topic needs to be discussed further. Join Regelrådet and NNR, as well as, representatives from the EU Commission and other experts in a workshop on "Clarifying Gold-Plating: Mitigating Barriers To Trade in the European Single Market", Friday 1st February 2013 at the IRRC conference in Berlin (announcement from Regelradet.)

1st International Conf. on Legislative Drafting

The US Federal Bar Association announces that it is convening the First International Conference on Legislative Drafting and Law Reform, to be held in Washington on 8-9 March 2013.

Planned topics for this international conference include:

• Legislative Drafting and Drafting International Treaties
• Comparative Legislative Drafting: the Experiences in the United Kingdom and the Middle East
• Foreign Policy Making, Law Making, and Legislative Drafting: The Interface
• Legislative Drafting and Judicial Approaches to Interpretation
• Legislative Drafting: Transferring Treaties to National Legislation
• New Challenges in Legislative Drafting
• Legislative Drafting and Law Reform
• Legislative Drafting and the Criminal Justice System
• Use of Definitions in Legislative Drafting
• Teaching Legislative Drafting: New Approaches
• Legislative Drafting: Viewpoints of the Judge
• Basic Principles of Legislative Drafting

This blog has in a previous post shown how good legislative drafting can contribute to smart regulation. For examples, see the "legistics" category of this blog(information from Dr Tonye Clinton Yaya, see also the website of the International Journal of Legislative Drafting and Law Reform).

Announced: Regulatory Governance Conference in Mexico 17-19 October

The 30th national conference on improving regulation will be organised on 17-19 October by COFEMER (an agency of the Mexican ministry of economy) and the state of Hidalgo and will be devoted to Regulatory Governance, with an emphasis on drawing practical lessons for action at federal, state and local levels aiming at deregulation and administrative simplification. Information about programme and registration on the Hidalgo Government site.

Coming soon: Doing Business 2013

Experts be warned: the next World Bank flagship report (for us at least) will be issued on October 23, 2012 at 00.01 GMT (7 pm in Washington). Watch this space !

Conference on Inspection Reform (London, 21-23 November)

BR experts worldwide have been receiving an invitation to a (free) conference in London on 21-23 November on Inspection Reform, run by the UK government's Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) with the support of IFC. A leaflet from BRDO " Inspection Reform: the change that matters" provides more background. From the invitation:
"The UK government's "Better Regulation" movement is now taking a very serious interest in this aspect of regulatory reform, as illustrated by creating BRDO at a senior level in the Business Ministry. BRDO (and LBRO as its predecessor) has been working along with IFC on inspection reform projects in the Former Soviet Union and East Africa and both are now trying to bring together the inspection reform community for three days in London. The first day is traditional conference style, with keynote speakers, but the second day is intended to gather case studies and experience from many countries. The third day provides a study tour of some UK institutions, so that international delegations can see this trip as a serious investment in learning. It is more an enhanced study tour than a one day conference." We are invited to suggest case studies.

Good legal drafting for Smart Regulation

When thinking about building a Smart Regulation capacity, we do not always think about the potential of more expert legislative drafting, which is concerned primarily with the formal quality (clarity, consistency, formatting, references, etc.) as we are focusing mostly on the impacts of the draft and other issues such as its implementation or evaluation. We take it for granted that the lawyers will know how to implement policy with the appropriate legal instruments, once the right decisions will have been taken and the impacts measured.
But a comprehensive approach to the quality of legislation must not neglect this vital phase of actually drafting the texts, with the end-user in mind.
Your blogger was asked to examine the contribution of legistics to better regulation for the first number of the International Journal of Legislative Drafting and Law Reform. The result is an article which examines how the issue has been tackled in France, and assess the results from a Better Regulation point of view. Access to the article is by subscription on the publication's website. Alternatively, interested experts can acces a short version "Legistics and the quality of legislation in France." In summary, the article takes the view that France, like other countries belonging the the "continental law" sphere, needs to accommodate updated standards of quality addressing a wider range of societal demands, chiefly making the body of law easier to access, to understand and to apply, and supporting higher economic performance. This has happened to a certain extent in France, and the article seeks to appraise the French model and its results against international best practice as expressed by the "Better Regulation" principles promoted by OECD. It concludes that much progress has been made but further improvements are necessary if the system is to guarantee economic accountability on a par with legal security, and remain an "attractive" model.
You may also want to note that the International Journal will be holding its first annual conference in London on 4-5 September.

Announcement: Stakeholder.eu 2nd edition

Smart regulation experts wishing to keep track of colleagues in Brussels, as well as correspondents in the stakeholder community will be interested in the publication of the second edition of Stakeholder.eu – The Directory for Brussels 2012, by former MEP and networking specialist Frank Schwalba-Hoth.
As indicated by the publishers, « it is estimated that some 15% of the Brussels stakeholders move from year to year. Keeping pace with these shifts is an everyday challenge. In order to work in Brussels, you do not need to know everyone – but you do need to know the stakeholders in your area of interest and activity. » A must-have for all those dealing professionally with the EU.

Announcement: conference on Smart Regulation and Sustainable Growth

The Korea Legislation Research Institute and the Administrative Research Centre at Paul Cézanne Aix-Marseille III University invite all smart regulation experts to a conference on "Challenges and Opportunities for the Future: European and Korean Perspectives on Sustainable Growth and Smart Regulation."
Date: November 30th (Wed), 2011 Venue: Hotel Marriott Rive Gauche Paris.
The invitation is online, as well as the conference book.
RSVP by e-mail to klri @ koconex. com

Smart Regulation & Multilevel Governance Conference

How do Flanders and the other European regions cope with the competency for smart regulation in a multilevel environment?
That is the central question during the Smart Regulation & Multilevel Governance Conference on the 7th of November 2011. The conference aims to explore regional approaches for smart regulation in a multilevel setting. This conference addresses civil servants and administrators responsible for (implementing) smart regulation policy.

When
Monday, the 7th of November 2011

Venue
Atrium at the Belvue museum, Brussels

For now, save the date and keep a close eye as more information about the conference, the program and the themes will be communicated within a few weeks time.

(Announcement from Marijn Straetemans on our Smart Regulation LinkedIn group)

For discussion: new Regulatory Quality principles (OECD)

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: "Call for comments on the Draft OECD Recommendation on Regulatory Policy and Governance."
"The Draft OECD Recommendation on Regulatory Policy and Governance updates existing OECD instruments on regulatory reform and management adopted since 1995. The OECD intends to produce a Recommendation that covers regulatory policy, management and governance as a whole-of-government instrument that can and should be applied by sectoral ministries and regulatory agencies. In undertaking this work, the OECD will hold meetings with BIAC and TUAC and is actively seeking the views of officials from regulatory agencies and ministries, the private sector, social partners and civil society at large. The OECD currently invites public comments both on the draft recommendations and the explanatory text and questions to guide the consultation process. The deadline for comments is 1 July 2011. For all the relevant information, please visit this webpage."
Please note that the email address for sending the comments is mailto:reg.reco@oecd.org .

SME expert position in Bangladesh

This blog has been approached to publicise a position as a regulatory expert in Bangladesh. Details can be accessed on the site of SOFRECO, along with a number of other job offers. See:  Key Expert No.1: Team Leader/SME Development Strategic Planning Expert. Full-time position in Dhaka with travel around Bangladesh for 36 months and intermittent for 12 months.

Caution: closing date 31 May

Smart Regulation blog and LinkedIn group

Last month, this blog changed its name from Regulatory Quality to Smart Regulation, explaining the reasons for the change.

Two further steps have been taken to facilitate our work together in monitoring changes and contributing to spreading the good principles and success stories:

- the blog can now be accessed by a new URL which is simply: http://smartregulation.net/ Similarly, contributions can be sent to montin AT-sign smartregulation.net

- to stay informed of new content and contribute to discussions, do consider joining  the LinkedIn Group named "Smart Regulation" and be part of a growing community of similarly minded expert colleagues around the world, numbering more than 250 in 50 different countries. I recommend reading the recent discussion about the significance of the move to the new concept in many countries. To make the group's work more available to external people interested, the group is now "open". 

You can also register as a "follower" thereby signaling your appreciation of the blog.

Blog takes new name after one year of operation

Regular visitors may have noticed that this blog has adopted the more popular name "Smart Regulation" instead of "Regulatory Quality," though this does not represent a shift in content, but a response to the show of interest by regulators worldwide who have subscribed to the LinkedIn group of that name, now assembling 200 experts. European SR, including related topics such as EU 2020 and Internal Market will continue to be prominent, but national news (most often under the banner of 'better regulation') will of course continue.

There are about 100 visits per week. About 50 visitors have become "followers", 14 of which appear listed in the column to the right. Perhaps others have been dissuaded by the title "BR experts" ! Over the period end January - mid-March, 146 items have been posted, in 32 "categories."  Some items (not numerous enough) were suggested or drafted by other experts: thank you Lorenzo, Manos and Denis in particular. In parallel, I have made the URL of the blog easier to memorise, at least for my friends: http://www.montin.com/ and the content of the resource site (regplus.eu) will progressively be more closely integrated into the blog and disappear as a separate site. For the continued blog I will make one wish: that more readers deposit "comments" or send in ideas for articles. I hope this blog is useful, I take quite some pleasure maintaining it !