Impact Assessment of European Commission Policies: Achievements And Prospects

We have reviewed the way that Impact Assessment is being applied to European Commission policies, and evaluated the Commission's recently published Impact Assessment Guidelines. Based on an analysis of recent meta-studies, the Commission's Guidelines for Impact Assessment and some case studies, we set out some core principles to guide future Impact Assessments, including transparency, quality control, and a process of integration that clarifies, rather than conceals, important political choices. Introduction Decision makers need to be informed about the likely consequences of projects, plans, policies and regulations. This principle has been embodied for many years in forms of impact assessment like Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and risk assessment (RA). More recently, three important trends have influenced thinking in this area. First, the need for a more strategic approach has been recognised, as in the instigation of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Second, a strong emphasis on 'better regulation' has led to greater use of Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) in Member States. Third, more integrated forms of assessment have been sought, which attempt to bring together multiple policy concerns, in part to reflect the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development. These trends are not independent. For example, forms of RIA that incorporate social and environmental impacts have been promoted in some Member States, and in 2002 the European Commission introduced an internal system of integrated Impact Assessment that assesses the likely environmental, economic and social consequences of its major proposals. The latter system was stimulated by the request of the European Council at Gothenburg for development of 'Sustainability Impact Assessment' as well as by the 'better regulation' agenda. In spite of the quest for integration, there are persistent calls from business and some Member States for a narrower focus on regulatory costs and competitiveness. As these important developments gain momentum, it is an opportune moment to reflect upon the purpose, practice and effectiveness of impact assessment. We have much to learn from the substantial achievements of well-established procedures. But as new approaches, methodologies and guidelines proliferate we are in danger of losing touch with fundamentals. How, for example, should we conceptualise the role of impact assessment? Experience suggests that informing decisions through assessment should best be characterised as a learning process rather than a purely 'objective', technical one. Some have asked whether integrated Impact Assessments, such as those undertaken by the Commission, achieve their stated objectives, or whether in practice they …