You have the chance to let the Commission what you know about virtually every step of the way. Just go and visit ‘Have Your Say’. The only chance the Commission come forward with anything that surprises you is if you have been living off grid with no contact with the internet or you have been sectioned.
Chances to feed in
They are calling out for your input:
Feedback on Time for feedback Link
| Road Maps & Inception Impact Assessment Initiatives – when the idea is being developed | 4 weeks | here |
| Public Consultations – when the policy options are firmed up | 12 weeks | here |
| Feedback on legislative proposals – when the proposal has gone out the door | 8 weeks | here |
| Draft secondary legislation – what do you think of the technical measure | 4 weeks | here |
| Rules that need to be changed – lighten the load – what do you think should be changed | here |
Making it easy for you
If you do not want to click on a web link, you can subscribe to updates, and have them sent to your email box. Here is the link.
Through the Road Maps and Inception Impact Assessments, you get a very clear idea of ‘ideas’ being considered. Then is your chance to step in and frame the policy future.
If an ‘idea’ makes the way off the drawing board, and is validated by the first Vice-President, or Commissioner for secondary legislation, firmer ideas will be put out for public consultation.
The Commission gives you the chance to provide feedback on ordinary legislative proposals that put out the door. They even send it to the European Parliament and Member States in the Council. Now, I am not sure whether MEPs or government attaches negotiating the text read the feedback. But, it makes sense, if you think the issue is important enough, to put your well-reasoned feedback on the record.
The most useful section is tracking upcoming secondary legislation. As that is around 97% of EU laws, it is important to follow, and most people ignore it.
They are even giving your time time to feedback. They are no ‘answers by the end of the day’.
Are there gaps?
Yes there are gaps. The system is not perfect. It has improved a huge amount, but it can improve.
The main missing gaps are knowing when (1) ‘validation’ is given and (2) when the all-important ‘inter-service consultation’ starts. Knowing when these two events occur would be useful. To be fair, it would help Commission officials. making it public will help a lot of officials, who don’t have the time to track the initiatives being cooked up in their own department, let alone in other departments.
Sometimes, urgent and important proposals skip the process. When the migration crisis hit, measures
I guess the only challenge is for the blind, the illiterate and let’s not forget those living deep off the grid and the sectioned.
Do they listen?
The simple fact is that daft ideas and proposals that have snuck through have been pulled.
For example, someone in the Commission tabled technical roaming charge rules that seemed designed to favour telecom firms. The public let the Commission know. The political grown ups in the Commission stepped in and pulled the proposal.
The system works. If you want to change something, you need to make a strong case. Wailing to the wall is not going to cut it.
Real facts not pub facts needed
It is an ‘evidence based’ approach . That means you need to provide evidence. That means data to support your point.
This means facts. Not pub facts, but real facts. Too many people use pub facts. Don’t. You are wasting your time. Pub facts may persuade inebriated acquaintances down the pub, and may well pass as news in the Daily Mail, but they don’t count.
It does not mean wailing at the walls. By evidence, I mean sober, analytical , reasoned supporting analysis that supports a particular policy choice or outcome. If you want to see a good example read ‘Factfullness’ by the late Hans Rosling, or anything by Vaclav Smil.
Policy Wonk Fantasy
To be fair, officials are left to sift through a lot of dross. Most submissions miss the point and ignore putting forward any evidence.
It’s a policy wonks fantasy. Think tanks and umber crunchers of the world must be in ecstasy.
In reality, too few people have ‘real facts’ to support their ‘world view’. Open law making calls them out. They’ll need to stay with pub facts.