The sixth meeting of the Regulatory Policy Committee took place on 11-12 April 2012 at the OECD headquarters. Delegates from the OECD participated as well as from Brazil, Columbia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Tunisia and Viet Nam. The following highlights the items for discussion.

 

Current activities

• Roundtable Discussion: “Regulatory Policy for Growth”. The first in a series of RPC Roundtables addressed the overarching topic of “Regulatory Policy for Growth”. It aimed at taking stock of the evidence between regulatory reforms and growth and social welfare, building on country experiences and analytical work within the OECD Secretariat.
• Measuring Regulatory Performance in OECD Countries. A framework for Regulatory Policy Evaluation based on revisions to the framework discussed in Madrid 2011 was presented. Delegates discussed the use of indicators for the practical application of the framework.
• Implementing and Communicating the Recommendation of the Council on Regulatory Policy and Governance. The 2012 Recommendation is a tool for OECD member and non-member countries in advancing the implementation of good regulatory practices. During this session delegates were in support of being responsible for the implementation and communication of the Recommendation and provided updates of how they were going to implement and communicate the recommendation.
• International Regulatory Cooperation. A steering group has been established to guide future work on the topic. Twelve case studies from which important lessons can be learnt have been identified and are leading to cross-Directorates work within the OECD.
• Enforcement and compliance. The Secretariat has undertaken substantive research and consultations with OECD directorates and the World Bank. The work has led to the design of a survey that aims to gather information on the organisation and governance of inspection authorities in OECD countries. The survey also aims at taking stock of existing examples of reforms and innovative approaches to regulatory enforcement and compliance.

Regional programmes and country specific work

• Chile, High-Level Parliamentary Seminar. Delegates were briefed on the results of the OECD programme of co-operation with Chile’s Chamber of Deputies to establish a Law Evaluation Department, mainly the upcoming report Evaluating Laws and Regulations: The Case of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies, and the High-Level Parliamentary Seminar held on 8-9 March in Santiago.
• MENA activities on regulatory reform. Delegates reported on activities organized since the last RPC in November 2011 and encouraged to continue the MENA-OECD policy dialogue on regulatory reform and administrative simplification.
• Peer discussion of the Regulatory Reform Review of Indonesia. The government of Indonesia indicated that it agreed with the preliminary recommendations of the OECD and that it would draw upon this assessment in revising government regulations. The finalised background reports and synthesis report will be published in July 2012.