European Commission Launches Alliance for the Reduction of Bureaucratic Burden

Key points

• The European Commission has tabled twelve major Omnibus simplification proposals with the potential to save at least €17 billion in annual administrative costs for European businesses and national administrations.
• The Commission targets cutting administrative burdens by at least 25% for all companies and at least 35% for SMEs.
• In 2027, the focus will be on simplification proposals in banking, housing, transport and digital sectors, with the Digital Fitness Check expected to lead to additional proposals.
• The Commission is working to embed 'simplicity by design' in every proposal, ensuring regulatory discipline and clarity.
• The European Council has called on Member States to avoid gold-plating and disproportionate national requirements.
• The Commission is working on a toolkit to assist Member States and plans pilot projects to identify gold-plating in key Single Market areas.
• The Alliance commits to implementing simplification measures at national level, including strengthening evidence-based law-making and sharing best practices.
• The Commission stresses that simplification efforts require joint action by EU institutions and Member States to produce results far greater than the sum of their parts.