1. The Splendours and Miseries of Regulatory reform in the Czech Republic
Daniel Trnka
Regulatory Policy Division
OECD
Ljubljana, 13 December 2016

2. The early years
Started with OECD Review of Regulatory Reform in the Czech Republic in 2001
Later followed by the Better Regulation agenda of the EU
Doing Business got some prominence as well
Lesson #1: External pressures and advice might help

3. Three main pillars
Administrative burden reduction for businesses
Stakeholder engagement
Regulatory Impact Assessment (in the beginning, only business impacts were assessed)
Lesson #2: Having a plan is crucial, gradual implementation might be useful

4. Reducing Administrative Burdens
20% reduction target set in 2005, later changed to 25 %
One of the 4 countries with a full baseline measurement
No funds for external consultants, used expert assessment
Attracted a lot of attention
Lesson #3: Start with something easy to understand.
Lesson #4: Target your resources

5. Stakeholder engagement
New methodology for public consultations, tested on 3 pilot projects
Consultations obligatory for all draft regulations
Strengthened by making consultations part of the RIA process
Lesson #5: Pilot testing helps to persuade your colleagues

6. Regulatory Impact Assessment
First introduced in in 2005, business impacts, 3 pilot full RIAs
Full implementation in 2017 – obligatory for all legislative proposals and amendments of the Government
Two stage RIA - Similar structure, difference mostly in scope, quantification, number of policy options
In the beginning RIA mostly formal, lack of quality control
Massive training, awareness raising seminars for senior officials

7. Main issues Insufficient teeth Civil servants’ reluctance
Political pressure
Efforts to avoid RIA
Lack of data
Losing momentum – no immediate results
Lesson #6: Find external supporters, political support

8. RIA Quality Oversight
Originally, Ministry of Interior the co-ordinating institution
Before 2007 – Legislative Council
2007 – Board for Regulatory Reform consisting of deputy ministers and deputy heads of agencies + representatives of regions, municipalities, Chamber of Commerce
As of 2012 – Government Office became the coordinating body; RIA Board (an independent watchdog) – a real game changer
Lesson #7: Institutions matter!

9. Thank you!