This document contains a proposal by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) for preparing an impact assessment of possible actions at EU level for an open, efficient and independent EU administration. EU administrative law is highly fragmented and has never evolved into a consistent set of rules applicable across the EU administration. This fragmentation impinges on the EU’s ability to consistently uphold standards of good governance and administration, as well as to protect citizens’ rights when they interact with the administration. This impact assessment compares the option of “doing nothing” with two alternative policy options: making the 2001 Code of Good Administrative Behaviour binding vs. adopting the regulatory framework proposed by the European Parliament in 2016. The study concludes that adopting the European Parliament’s regulatory framework would be the preferred option, since it would lead to clear advantages in terms of cost savings for the public, as well as the accessibility, transparency, legal certainty and predictability as well as the legitimacy of, and trust in, EU institutions. This option would also offer additional advantages in terms of its compatibility with Member States’ administrative law and readiness for the transition towards e-government and e-administration tools, which promises further efficiency increases in the EU administration.
This project was awarded under the Framework service contract in lots for provision of external expertise in the fields of impact assessment and European added value: Methodological and horizontal issues (IP/G/ALL/FAC/2013-002/Lot 11) with the European Parliament. The full list of CEPS’ Framework Contracts is available here.
