ReSPA Panel: Experiences in Capacity Development for RIA
Chairs:
• Dragan Djuric, ReSPA Programme Manager / Coordinator, Montenegro
• Vladimir Nikolic, ReSPA Programme Assistant, Montenegro
The Study on Better Regulation in Western Balkans, published by ReSPA in 2018, stressed that the European Union (EU) better regulation agenda requests the most efficient ways to deliver policy objectives without creating unnecessary burdens for citizens, businesses and public administration. Better regulation covers the entire policy cycle, including policy design and preparation, adoption, implementation, application (including enforcement), evaluation and revision. For each phase of the policy cycle, there are respective better regulation principles, objectives, tools and procedures to ensure that countries have the best regulation possible. These relate to planning, impact assessment, stakeholder consultation and engagement, implementation and evaluation.
The need for an effective regulatory management system is well recognised in Western Balkans. All the countries have adopted regulatory and/or public administration reform strategies, with the aim of ensuring policy co-ordination and making their business environments more competitive. An important segment of these strategies is the adoption and implementation of the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA).
Over the last ten years, these countries introduced RIA as an integral part of their regulatory reforms, and impact assessment had become a formal requirement for the executive branch in the development of new regulations in all Western Balkan countries.
Although RIA implementation in Western Balkans varies significantly, both in scope and form, there are some common challenges in terms of: participatory culture within the government, preventing adequate input from and scrutiny of RIA by external stakeholders; continuous high-level political support for RIA; staff to oversee and conduct RIA; technical skills and adequate capacity within the government and the stakeholder community, and institutional support to RIA units.
Obviously, stronger political support is needed to overcome bureaucratic and political inertia, which often is one of the key obstacles for the successful performance of RIA, which has to be constantly and consistently applied in order to become a standard regulatory management tool. Therefore, governments have to develop adequate administrative and analytical capacities for standardised utilisation of this tool.
ReSPA has provided continuous support to Western Balkan countries in their efforts to enhance the administrative capacities necessary for comprehensive RIA exercises and successful utilisation of RIA in the improvement of the policy cycle. This support is oriented towards the utilisation of RIA as a strategic tool and support to the evidence-based policy making process.
Therefore the ReSPA panel will be devoted to the presentation of the main best case examples of the development of the practice of utilisation of RIA in the policy cycle within Western Balkan countries.
The Panelists are members of the ReSPA Regional Working Group for Better Regulation.
The need for an effective regulatory management system is well recognised in Western Balkans. All the countries have adopted regulatory and/or public administration reform strategies, with the aim of ensuring policy co-ordination and making their business environments more competitive. An important segment of these strategies is the adoption and implementation of the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA).
Over the last ten years, these countries introduced RIA as an integral part of their regulatory reforms, and impact assessment had become a formal requirement for the executive branch in the development of new regulations in all Western Balkan countries.
Although RIA implementation in Western Balkans varies significantly, both in scope and form, there are some common challenges in terms of: participatory culture within the government, preventing adequate input from and scrutiny of RIA by external stakeholders; continuous high-level political support for RIA; staff to oversee and conduct RIA; technical skills and adequate capacity within the government and the stakeholder community, and institutional support to RIA units.
Obviously, stronger political support is needed to overcome bureaucratic and political inertia, which often is one of the key obstacles for the successful performance of RIA, which has to be constantly and consistently applied in order to become a standard regulatory management tool. Therefore, governments have to develop adequate administrative and analytical capacities for standardised utilisation of this tool.
ReSPA has provided continuous support to Western Balkan countries in their efforts to enhance the administrative capacities necessary for comprehensive RIA exercises and successful utilisation of RIA in the improvement of the policy cycle. This support is oriented towards the utilisation of RIA as a strategic tool and support to the evidence-based policy making process.
Therefore the ReSPA panel will be devoted to the presentation of the main best case examples of the development of the practice of utilisation of RIA in the policy cycle within Western Balkan countries.
The Panelists are members of the ReSPA Regional Working Group for Better Regulation.