It is the final chapter of a seven-year endeavour. On 14 October, Edmund Stoiber is going to hand over the final report of his
High Level Group on Administrative Burdens
to President José Manuel Barroso, taking stock of his achievements in advising the Commission on cutting red tape for businesses and formulating further recommendations for the next executive. But several members of the group disagree with the orientation of the report. One more proof that the better regulation agenda is…
Background
José Manuel Barroso set up the High Level Group on Administrative Burdens in 2007. It was charged with advising Barroso and the Commission on how to reduce administrative burdens caused by EU legislation and its implementation in member states. The group is often referred to by the name of its chair, Edmund Stoiber, the former Conservative prime minister of Bavaria. The group’s mandate has been extended twice (in 2010 and 2012) and will end on 31 October 2014. Over the past seven years, it has adopted opinions and reports presenting the Commission with suggestions on how to cut red tape. What will happen next? Stoiber has told the German press that Jean-Claude Juncker, Martin Schulz and Manfred Weber have asked him to pursue the better regulation agenda “in some way”. The 73-year-old Bavarian said he would be willing to give advice, but does not intend to ask for an extension of his mandate.
