Evidence-informed policymaking

The new EU institutional cycle provides an opportunity to review the Commission's processes and ways of working, reflecting on how to improve policymaking processes for the best possible outcomes. At the same time, this Commission includes a Commissioner-level role for implementation and simplification, responsible for ensuring that policymaking is done "in the simplest, fastest and most practical way". 

While the task to try to simplify policymaking and reporting is clear in the new Commission, we are also operating in a time of extreme complexity. The current polycrisis in which policymakers operate accentuates the need for robust and resilient policy solutions in the face of multiple crises.  

Impact assessments (or ex-ante evaluations) play a critical role in better regulation by providing evidence to justify EU actions and align them with policy objectives.

This report examines the aspects of impact assessments and their development process that could be enhanced to better address the challenge of navigating trade-offs. Through this analysis, we identified four key challenges faced by policymakers in this context:

1. Integrating the long-term in decision-making 
2. Achieving a balance between different impacts 
3. Assessing impacts in times of crisis 
4. Managing capacities and resources 

Focusing on these challenges, we propose recommendations to ensure impact assessments account for long-term, cross-cutting effects, adapt quickly in crises, and, at the same time, do not put too much capacity strain on EU policymakers.