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European Union regulatory fitness and subsidiarity and proportionality – report on Better Law-Making covering 2023 and 2024

TA-10-2026-0063 · P10_TA(2026)0063 · PE776.862

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✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 4 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

Parliament's resolution on the Commission's 2023 and 2024 reports on better law-making assesses subsidiarity, proportionality, and regulatory fitness. It calls for improved impact assessments, a more ambitious burden-reduction approach, and stronger involvement of national parliaments and stakeholders.

Key points

  1. Recalls that the EU must legislate only where necessary, respecting subsidiarity and proportionality, and warns against using emergency legal bases beyond crisis situations.
  2. Notes that national parliaments submitted 22 reasoned opinions in 2023 and 14 in 2024, with increased political dialogue participation; calls for earlier and structured involvement of national parliaments.
  3. Calls for enhanced cooperation with national parliaments, including digital platforms and a possible 'green card' mechanism for collective legislative suggestions.
  4. Regrets the Commission's increasing failure to carry out impact assessments; calls for independent, transparent impact assessments and ex post evaluations of all legislative proposals.
  5. Calls for a children's rights test in impact assessments and for cost-benefit analysis of major initiatives, including social, economic, and environmental impacts.
  6. Deems the 'one in, one out' approach inadequate; calls for a more ambitious approach with clear methodology and independent monitoring to achieve net reduction in regulatory costs.
  7. Calls for improving the Regulatory Scrutiny Board's independence, capacity, and transparency, and for timely information to Parliament on negative opinions.
  8. Calls for streamlining reporting obligations, digitising reporting, and assessing support measures for companies, especially SMEs.
  9. Welcomes the SME and competitiveness check and calls for full competitiveness checks, including cumulative impact assessments; stresses the 'Think Small First' principle.
  10. Notes the Commission's pledge to reduce reporting obligations by 25% and administrative costs for SMEs by 35%, but calls for a more ambitious approach to reduce all regulatory costs.
  11. Calls for using digital tools and AI to simplify compliance and monitor implementation, and for Member States to avoid gold-plating and ensure timely transposition.

Who is affected

  • National parliaments: calls for earlier involvement and a possible 'green card' mechanism.
  • Small and medium-sized enterprises: focus on reducing regulatory burdens and reporting costs.
  • European Commission: urged to improve impact assessments, develop cost methodology, and use AI tools.
  • Member states: urged to avoid gold-plating and ensure timely transposition.

Figures and deadlines

  • 22 reasoned opinions in 2023, a third less than in 2022.
  • 577 subsidiarity checks and reasoned opinions, 3,803 contributions, three 'yellow cards' and no 'orange cards' since 2009.
  • 402 opinions submitted in 2023 in political dialogue.
  • 252 opinions in 2024, of which 14 were reasoned opinions.
  • 25% reduction in reporting obligations pledged by the Commission.
  • 35% reduction in administrative costs and reporting for SMEs.

Legal basis: Article 5 TEU, Protocol No 1 and No 2 to the TEU and TFEU