EU Chiefs of State and Prime Ministers call for a ‘cultural change’ to pass new laws

“We call for self-restraint when it comes to new legislation, which should anyway come with strengthened impact assessments. Beyond directives and regulations, this needs also to be applied to the proliferation of delegated and implementing acts. Nothing less than a cultural change is needed. Europe must limit itself to the bare minimum of new regulation in full compliance with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality”

(Letter signed by 20 Member States to the President of European Council, 20^th October 2025)

 

In the midst of the debate on the competitiveness of European industry in the EU, a large majority of EU heads of state and government have signed a letter to the President of the European Council.

By asking the European Commission to curb its legislative zeal by constantly resorting to comitology (the infamous c-word), this letter contains a depth charge of considerable proportions for the future of the EU: is the culture of the c-word coming to an end in the EU?

For easy understanding, the so-called comitology is a particular decision-making procedure in the EU that consists of granting the European Commission powers to approve laws.

Comitology takes two forms: delegated acts and implementing acts. They constitute secondary legislation or, confusedly, non-legislative acts. While both result from basic legislation (a Regulation or Directive providing for the Commission to adopt them), delegated acts supplement or amend secondary aspects of the basic legislation and should not be submitted to a committee but to a Group of National Experts. Implementing acts, on the other hand, help to standardize the implementation of the basic law and must be subject to examination by a committee.

To get an idea, these comitology acts represents 9 out of 10 laws that the EU approves annually, reaching 1,500 in the case of implementing acts. It cover all sectors (agriculture/fisheries, industrial and services) regulating issues such as health, environmental protection, the fight against climate change, the circular economy or artificial intelligence.

Comitology laws in the midst of a fading transparency in the EU not only undermines the competitiveness of the European industry and makes difficult the work of lobbyists like us. It also raises serious doubts about the democratic quality of laws that are decided in the shadows with limited control by the true legislators (in particular, the European Parliament, which sees its power undermined despite being the only institution elected by universal suffrage in the EU).

At Alonso & Associates, we have been devoting our experience, energy and know-how of 40 years to help companies, associations and public bodies to enlighten them about the EU decision-taking and to get the best of it by making a good use of Brussels institutions.

Next station: European Summit devoted to competitiveness in February 2026.

 

More on comitology:

• https://www.alonsoassociates.com/understanding-eu-comitology-how-to-avoid-dying-in-the-attempt/
• https://www.alonsoassociates.com/2023/04/14/transparency-in-the-eu-participatory-democracy-in-danger/
• https://www.alonsoassociates.com/2023/11/03/glyphosate-comitology-and-democracy-in-the-eu/
• https://www.alonsoassociates.com/sustainable-production-the-digital-product-passport-is-just-around-the-corner/
• https://www.alonsoassociates.com/mobility-negotiated-once-again-in-the-shadows-of-eu-comitology/