On the 28th of September, RegWatchEurope arranged a follow-up to the workshop on innovation and regulatory policy that was held on 7 June. Whereas the previous workshop had a more theoretical and general perspective, this workshop had a more practical approach, focussing on assessments, conclusions, methods and scrutiny of concrete cases.
The Norwegian Better Regulation Council presented a case on card payments in connection with the charging of electric cars and another case on drones. The Swedish Better Regulation Council presented considerations around the amended radio equipment directive. The German Regulatory Control Council presented a case of the development of a national donations app.
Practical methods and questions for the assessment and scrutiny of innovation aspects were also discussed. The German Council presented a method for digital readiness check of legislation. There were discussions on a study on costs and benefits of innovation-sensitive legislation that was commissioned by the European Commission, which, among other things, investigates to what extent the Commission’s method and tools for assessing innovation were used in the drafting of legislative acts and how related costs and benefits were estimated. Furthermore, the legal acts that are described in greater detail in the study, that concern the areas of transport services, pharmaceuticals, public sector information and waste-water treatment, were also discussed at the workshop.
It was noted that there are various aspects of – and criteria for – innovation and that it is not easy to assess or quantify the effects of legislation on innovation, neither in the short or long term. There are furthermore seldom unambiguous conclusions to be drawn from existing studies or individual legal frameworks. There is a clear need for further development of methods and exchanges of experience in the area.