The 2nd Session of the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) took place on 14-15 April 2010. Delegates from the OECD participated as well as from Brazil, Indonesia, Egypt and all accession countries. The meeting underscored the horizontal role of the RPC in the OECD and the contribution of the programme of work to its strategic objectives.
- Innovative approaches. Delegates reported on the use of new and innovative approaches to ensure the public interest when regulating, without creating unnecessary burdens on business. Approaches include: promoting accountability and transparency within government; supporting policy coherence using regulatory impact analysis across policy areas and jurisdictions and; focusing regulatory policy on the needs of citizens and end-users. A new project on open consultation and e-government was endorsed, and strong support was expressed for future work on international regulatory co-operation. The Committee launched an initiative to co-operate with the Environmental Policy Committee to explore the potential of regulatory impact analysis to ensure policy coherence in the development of strategies for Green Growth. A preliminary report on strengthening the institutional setting for regulatory reform was also discussed by delegates and will be released shortly.
- National strategies and trends for administrative simplification. Delegates discussed a report on successful practices of regulatory management at the sub-national level, lessons learnt and recommendations for Mexico based on case studies of three Mexican states (Baja California, Jalisco, and Puebla) and three subnational jurisdictions from other countries (British Columbia, Catalonia, and Piemonte).
- EU 15 Better Regulation. Peer reviews on regulatory management practices in Belgium, Finland, France, Sweden and Germany were presented and discussed. These reviews have provided a rich source of material and inspiration. It was noted that the reports went a long way in strengthening the political commitment to Better Regulation and highlighted the positive changes since the last OECD report on regulatory management, as well as outlining areas in which progress still needs to be made.
- 10 years of regulatory reform. The meeting of the RPC concluded with the announcement of a major conference which will take place end October 2010: “Regulatory Reform at the Crossroads: Towards a New Policy Agenda”. This conference will be open to the public, but participation will remain by invitation. A synthesis report will be prepared for this event, drawing lessons from thematic analysis and peer reviews of regulatory reform – including reviews of 15 members of the European Union, Australia, Brazil, China and Russia.