Article published 7 May 2026
RegWatchEurope scrutiny of the omnibus for simplification process
RegWatchEurope has issued recommendations to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers regarding the application of better regulation principles in the ongoing omnibus for simplification process.
In order to reduce regulatory burdens for businesses and to increase EU competitiveness, the European Commission has at a fast pace put forward so called omnibus packages for simplification. In 2025, as many as 10 such legislative packages in a wide range of policy areas were presented, and more are expected in 2026. Already from the outset, it was evident that the process in which these packages were handled differed from the ordinary legislative process, not the least regarding principles for better regulation. Impact assessments from the European Commission are missing and consultation seems to have been conducted sporadically and to a limited extent. Furthermore, negotiations in the Council started immediately after the proposals were presented and a new Council working party was established specifically for these negotiations. The European Ombudsman and others have put forward criticism against the European Commission in the process.
RegWatchEurope has conducted an analysis of how the first six omnibus packages have been handled at EU and national level, focussing on impact assessments and consultations. The packages covered more than 50 existing EU regulations and directives, many in very technical and complex areas. We found that there were no impact assessments from the European Commission accompanying these packages. A preliminary national impact assessment was conducted only in one of the seven member states in our study. Stakeholder consultation at EU level have been held, but not directly related to the omnibus proposals. At national level, there have been no or few stakeholder consultations. The consultations that took place varied largely in extent and depth.
Deviations from commonly agreed principles for better regulation could lead to unintentional effects, counteracting overarching objectives of the initiatives. We therefore recommend that a follow-up of each omnibus package is conducted as soon it has been adopted by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. We also recommend that evaluations are performed after the changes have been in force and applied for some time. Other important recommendations are that proportionate impact assessments are always made at EU level and that sufficient time for national analyses and stakeholder consultations is given before the start of negotiations. Finally, we recommend that the criteria for urgent measures are more strictly defined and integrated in the system for better regulation.
