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REFIT – making EU law simpler, less costly and future proof

The European Commission's regulatory fitness and performance programme (REFIT) aims to ensure that EU laws deliver on their objectives at a minimum cost for the benefit of citizens and businesses.

About REFIT

The REFIT programme is part of the Commission’s Better regulation agenda. Under this programme, the Commission ensures that EU laws deliver their intended benefits for individuals and businesses, while simplifying existing EU laws and cutting red tape, whenever possible. REFIT aims to make EU laws simpler, more targeted and easier to comply with.

Citizens and small and medium-sized enterprises - representing 99% of all businesses in the EU - benefit particularly from REFIT as they can be particularly affected by burdens and complexity of the rules.

The Commission regularly monitors the progress under REFIT through the REFIT Scoreboard, which follows the REFIT initiatives throughout their full life cycle. The Annual Burden Survey presents a yearly overview of EU’s efforts for simplification and burden reduction, including highlights of the main REFIT initiatives, the Fit for Future Platform activities and since 2021, the ‘one-in, one-out’ approach

Better regulation: why and how

REFIT Scoreboard

The EU's efforts to simplify legislation – 2022 Annual Burden survey

How REFIT works

All Commission proposals to change existing EU laws should aim to simplify and reduce unnecessary regulatory costs, while achieving the underlying policy objectives.

The new ‘one-in, one-out’ approach complements the REFIT programme, by considering the impact of compliance costs to citizens and businesses. Adjustment costs will be quantified and compensated to the greatest possible extent, while administrative costs will be offset.

In practice:

  • Impact assessments look at options available to deliver policy objectives in the most efficient way and analyse the REFIT potential of the preferred option.
  • All evaluations and fitness checks investigate the potential to simplify existing EU laws and eliminate unnecessary regulatory costs.
  • The Regulatory Scrutiny Board pays special attention to the application of the ‘one-in, one-out’ principle, assesses the quality of cost estimates and the proportionality of the preferred option, including if burden reduction is sufficiently explored. 
  • The simplification and burden reduction potential are quantified, wherever possible.
  • The Commission presents the REFIT dimension in the explanatory memoranda of its proposals.
  • The Commission work programme includes revisions of legislation with cost savings for citizens, businesses and authorities

Simplifying and reducing the regulatory burden of EU laws is a shared responsibility that can only be achieved through close cooperation with the other EU institutions, Member States and stakeholders.

As part of efforts to reduce burdens for businesses and administrations, the Commission has committed in its long term strategy for competitivenes published in March 2023 to rationalise reporting obligations and reduce such burdens by 25%, without undermining the related policy objectives.

On 12 September 2023, the SME relief package complemented this strategy and provided indications on the first proposals to be adopted alongside the 2024 work programme. The SME relief package further set up clear milestones to be reached by the end of 2023, based on which the exercise will be pursued in 2024 and beyond.

How you can contribute

As an integral part of Better regulation, the REFIT programme is based on citizens’ and stakeholders’ input.

Fit for Future Platform

The Fit for Future Platform was established to collect evidence from national, regional and local authorities, citizens and stakeholders to advise the Commission on how to make EU laws more efficient.

Besides input from its members, the Fit for Future Platform also considers input from citizens and stakeholders submitted through the ‘Have your say: Simplify!’ portal.

This is where you can make suggestions on how to simplify, reduce burdens and modernise existing EU laws.

You can also share your views on existing laws and new EU policies as they take shape via the Have Your Say portal.

Main achievements

  • Overall, the REFIT scoreboard monitors the programme’s progress since 2015. To date, the scoreboard includes:

  • Over 270 adopted legislative initiatives with simplification and burden reduction measures;

  • 210 finalised evaluations and fitness checks.

In 2022, there were 24 evaluations ongoing and 18 had been finalised. Moreover, 39 initiatives were adopted that included simplification and burden reduction measures.

Factsheet: Initiatives to simplify, reduce burden and modernise EU legislation in 2022

Background

2023 – the Commission publishes the 2022 Annual Burden Survey which reports among others on the first year of full implementation of the ‘one in, one out’ approach and announces further efforts by the Commission to rationalise and simplify reporting requirements for companies and administrations.

2022 – the Commission publishes the 2021 Annual Burden Survey, which reports for the first time on the ‘one in, one out’ pilot project carried out in 2021.

2020 – the Commission sets up the Fit for Future Platform, a high-level expert group bringing together Member States, the Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee and stakeholders. It also includes a collaboration with the SME Envoys Network and the REGHub.

2017 – the Commission publishes the first Annual Burden Survey.

2017 – the Commission enhances REFIT by ensuring that issues of simplification and burden reduction are always taken into account when legislation is evaluated and revised. All revisions of EU legislation are included under REFIT and strive to achieve burden reduction and simplification.

2015 – the Commission sets up the REFIT Platform; its mandate expired on 31 October 2019.

2015 – the Commission publishes a study (ABRplus) which examines how 12 measures from the action programme have been applied in the EU countries and to what extent the promised benefits have been achieved.

2012 – by the end of the action programme, the Commission reaches its target of cutting by 25% the administrative burden for businesses stemming from EU legislation (estimated annual savings EUR 30.8 billion).

2007 – the Commission launches action programme to reduce administrative burden of EU regulation. High‑level group is set up to advise on implementation. Its recommendations include facilitating electronic invoicing and exempting micro‑enterprises from EU accounting rules.

2005 – Simplification rolling programme covers 164 measures for 2005-2009 and becomes part of the annual work programme.

2002 – Better regulation programme is a first step in simplifying and improving EU legislation. It introduces obligatory impact assessments and stakeholder consultations for all new initiatives proposed by the Commission.

Documents

The EU's efforts to simplify legislation –  the Annual Burden survey

REFIT Scoreboard

REFIT Scoreboard summary (2017)

REFIT Scoreboard summary (2016)

REFIT Scoreboard (2016)

Commission communication on EU regulatory fitness (2012)

Action programme for reducing administrative burdens in the EU – final report

ABRplus study - final report

Final report of the high level group on cutting red tape in Europe – legacy and outlook