1.Lawmaking Methodology Manual
The Lawmaking Methodology Manual, which was compiled by the Secretariat General for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs of the Presidency of the Government, contains all the necessary procedures for adhering to the principles related to the lawmaking process and better regulation.
Its purpose is to enhance the quality of regulatory governance in Greece by adhering to the principles and rules of better regulation. Towards this goal, the appropriate method for applying Chapter C of Part C of Law 4622/2019 “Executive State: organization, operation, and transparency of the Government, government bodies, and central public administration” is applied, concerning the preparation of legal bills and regulatory acts. This manual incorporates all relevant constitutional and legislative mandates, as well as international best practices in legal drafting.
The Manual refers to all participants in the lawmaking process, particularly to staff members of the Ministries and the Presidency of the Government, as well as members of lawmaking committees and the Committee for Quality Evaluation of the Law Making Process. The manual is divided into three main parts: The first part develops the general principles of better regulation, the second part is a technical guide to better regulation, and the third part examines the specific stages of the lawmaking process.
2.Regulatory Impact Analysis Manual and Templates
Regulatory Impact Analysis is a tool used internationally to provide the necessary quantitative and qualitative documentation of the consequences – whether positive or negative – of any regulatory initiative.
It was introduced in Greece for the first time in 2006 with the Prime Minister’s Circular No. Υ6/2006, and was later institutionalized with Law 4048/2012.
A coherent Regulatory Impact Analysis was institutionalized with Law 4622/2019, which incorporates not only all the individual reports that were previously required – explanatory report, reports from the General Accounting Office of the State, general impact report, consultation report – but also two new reports of fundamental importance: the legality report, which examines the compatibility of the proposed provisions with supra-legal rules of law, and the implementation report, which clearly identifies the administrative bodies responsible for the implementation of the introduced regulations, as well as the timeline for the issuance of the required regulatory acts.
The Regulatory Impact Analysis Manual, which was developed by the Secretariat General for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, is a key component of the lawmaking process (Articles 57 to 64 of Law 4622/2019), in accordance with the principles of better regulation, as introduced in Articles 57 and 58 of Law 4622/2019 and are specialized in the Lawmaking Methodology Manual of the Secretariat General for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. As part of the reform of the lawmaking process, this Manual aims to achieve two goals: On one hand, to deliver a simple and understandable template for Regulatory Impact Analysis to the administration, and on the other hand, to provide a sufficient Guide for Completing this template. The template and the Guide for Completion together form the “Regulatory Impact Analysis Manual”.
The first part of the Manual is the Guide for Completing the sections of the Regulatory Impact Analysis, which provides instructions for filling out the latter. The second part is the Template of the Regulatory Impact Analysis, which includes the detailed sections it consists of, based on the law. All those involved in the lawmaking process, who are presumably the ones best acquainted with the purpose of the evaluated regulation, are bound by the Manual and must follow the directions and instructions provided therein, when drafting the Regulatory Impact Analysis, for the benefit of all.
3.Codification Manual
Codification and reform of the law are practices of better regulation that contribute to the implementation of the legal certainty principle, as a specific expression of the legal state, as well as to the simplification of daily life for citizens and businesses. The codification of legislation is based on Article 76, paragraphs 6 and 7 of the Constitution.
The Codification Manual, which was drafted by the Central Codification Committee (paragraph 4 of Article 66 of Law 4622/2019), mainly addresses issues of methodology, documentation, management, formulation of content, and, in general, systematization of procedures related to the codification and reform of the law. In other words, it aims to ensure that every codification and legal reform effort henceforth follows a unified methodology and adheres to uniform rules, so as to effectively serve the objectives of simplification and legal certainty.
The Manual is addressed to those carrying out codification and legal reform tasks at any stage of the process in which they are involved. Adherence to the methodology and legal drafting rules of the Manual becomes necessary for all codes prepared by any entity and under any lawful procedure, taking into account that it not only provides guidance but also includes the theoretical background and cites the practices based on which the Central Codification Committee addresses codification and legal reform projects. Consequently, compliance with the rules included in the Manual is, in practice, a prerequisite for the success of the overall effort concerning the codification and reform of the law.
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4. Useful Material for Better Regulation
In the list below, you can find material such as manuals, guidelines, reports, and studies from the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission, the OECD, the Centre for European Policy Studies, and other sources related to better regulation and regulatory governance.
Relevant material
- Εγχειρίδιο του Ευρωπαϊκού Κοινοβουλίου, για τη σύνταξη νομοθετικών κειμένων της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης – Διοργανικό Εγχειρίδιο Σύνταξης Κειμένων.
- Οδηγίες της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής αναφορικά με την Εργαλειοθήκη για την Καλή Νομοθέτηση (Better Regulation «Toolbox», επικαιροποιήθηκε το 2023).
- Οδηγίες σχετικά με την Καλή Νομοθέτηση στο πλαίσιο της Επιτροπής (Better Regulation Guidelines).
- Andrea RENDA (2022): Assessment of current initiatives of the European Commission on better regulation.
- OECD (2022) Guidelines for Citizen Participation Processes.
- Giovanni SARTOR (2022): The way forward for better regulation in the EU.
- European Commission: Annual Burden Survey.
- European Commission: REFIT SCOREBOARD.
- OECD (2022), Better Regulation Practices across the European Union 2022, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- OECD (2021), Applying Evaluation Criteria Thoughtfully, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- OECD (2021): Regulatory Policy Outlook 2021, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- OECD (2020), Reviewing the Stock of Regulation, OECD Best Practice Principles for Regulatory Policy, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- Έκθεση του Ευρωπαϊκού Ελεγκτικού Συνεδρίου (δημοσιεύτηκε στην αγγλική υπό τον τίτλο): «Law-making in the European Union after almost 20 years of Better Regulation» και είναι διαθέσιμη σε 23 γλώσσες.
- OECD (2020): Economic Surveys – Greece 2020, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- OECD (2019), Measuring Distance to the SDG Targets 2019: An Assessment of Where OECD Countries Stand, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- OECD (2019) Regulatory Policy Working Papers One-In, X-Out: Regulatory offsetting in selected OECD countries.
- OECD (2018): Economic Surveys: Greece 2018, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- ΟΟΣΑ (2014): Μέτρηση και μείωση των διοικητικών βαρών σε 13 κλάδους στην Ελλάδα.
- OECD (2012): Better Regulation in Europe: Greece.
- OECD (2011), Regulatory Policy and Governance: Supporting Economic Growth and Serving the Public Interest, OECD Publishing.
- OECD (2001): Government Capacity to Assure High Quality Regulation in Greece.
- EC & OECD: BETTER REGULATION IN EUROPE: AN OECD ASSESSMENT OF REGULATORY CAPACITY IN THE 15 ORIGINAL MEMBER STATES OF THE EU : PROJECT POLICY BASELINE AND SCOPE & PROJECT GLOSSARY
- Διαβάστε την έκθεση Mandelkern «Group on Better Regulation Final Report», 13 November 2001.
- Centre for European Policy Studies (Andrea Renda): FEASIBILITY STUDY: INTRODUCING “ONE-IN-ONE-OUT” IN THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Brussels (2019).
- Standard Cost Model Network: «Measuring and reducing administrative burdens for businesses».
