Finnish Council of Regulatory Impact Analysis
The Finnish Council of Regulatory Impact Analysis is responsible for issuing statements on government proposals and their regulatory impact assessments. The Council issues 30 to 50 statements each year.
Through its work, the Council aims to improve the quality of law drafting and, in particular, the impact assessment of government proposals. It also aims to develop the overall law drafting process, including the scheduling and planning of government proposals and law drafting.
The Council and the Secreteriat. (Professor Ulla Liukkunen is missing from the picture.)
Statements on draft government proposals
The Finnish Council of Regulatory Impact Analysis issues statements on government proposals and their regulatory impact assessments. The Council may also issue statements on the impact assessments of other draft legislation, including significant decree-level provisions or EU legislation. The Council does not conduct impact assessments itself; it analyses assessments that have been conducted and makes suggestions on how to improve them. The Council issues 30 to 50 statements each year.
Impact assessments related to legislative drafting provide information about the impacts of the different regulatory options. The aim is to provide decision-makers with reliable information about the various regulatory options and their consequences. Good impact assessments contribute to better regulation.
The Council is an impartial and independent body. It selects the government proposals on which it will issue statements.
The analyses are not binding on the ministries. If a government proposal has been considered in the Council of Regulatory Impact Analysis, a note will be entered under the item 'preparation of the matter'. The proposal must also mention how the Council's statement has been taken into account. The statements issued by the Council are public.
National and international cooperation
The Council and its secretariat meet with representatives of the Government and Ministries on a regular basis. Typical topics discussed at these meetings include the Council’s general observations on legislative drafting and impact assessments.
The Finnish Council of Regulatory Impact Analysis joined RegWatchEurope, the umbrella organisation of its European sister bodies, at the very start of its work in summer 2016. RegWatchEurope focuses on influencing the work done in the EU and cooperating with the OECD.
