European Academy for Law and Legislation

EALL areas of interest

The training and activity programmes of the European Academy cover 4 areas of interest:

1. Legislative theory
2. Legislative processes
3. Legislative methods
4. Legislative drafting techniques

1. Legislative theory

Legislative theory: this area deals with how rules function in societies. It concerns questions on the relationship between legislation and the establishment of the ‘Rule of Law’ and the interaction between the system of law and the society. This area is multidisciplinary in outlook and includes courses on the sociology of law, the economy of law and the anthropology of law.

2. Legislative processes

Legislative quality: subjects that deal with the quality of legislation are at stake here. This includes areas such as the science and methods of legislation, the use of soft law and directives for legislation, simplification of regulation, self-regulation, evaluation of legislation, enforcement and models of stakeholder consultation.

Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA): this area is receiving increasing attention from scientists and practitioners alike. Impact Assessment involves the clarification of the consequences of introducing new legislation and demands an integrated approach taking account of the economic, social and environmental aspects. The reduction of administrative burdens is also a related area of interest.

Managing stock of legislation: many countries have built up layers of regulation, originating from different legal (and legislative) traditions. Policies and techniques targeted at simplification or downsizing the volume of legislation, thus enabling satisfactory access for stakeholders, are central to this area of interest. Cutting ‘red tape’, consolidation, codification and recast serve as examples of techniques of how to adjust law at both national and European level.

ICT & legislation: technological advancements offer various possibilities to support legislative processes as a result of which actors in legislative processes are no longer to be conceived in isolation. ‘Smart applications’ for legislative lawyers have consequences for the quality of legislation whereby the development, exchange and management of legislation by legislative actors are to be viewed from a different perspective. It is, therefore, important to obtain a basic knowledge of these developments.

3. Legislative methods

Implementation of legislation: this concerns methodological and technical issues in the area of the transposition of EU norms and Council of Europe decisions.

4. Legislative drafting techniques

Language: language and the usage of juridical language are vital and critical elements for the quality of legislation. A good command of (juridical) language is not only important at national level, but it is also increasingly relevant in the exchange between the Member States and the EU. Activities in this domain focus on improving individual skills as well the development of multilingual glossaries.

Registration

Module 'Better Regulation Tools: Legislative Quality and Policy Appraisal'

Better Regulation in the Smart Economy

Consultation, alternatives to traditional regulation, soft law, risk approaches to enforcement and impact assessment are fundamental innovations in regulatory management and lawmaking. They have spread quickly throughout Europe. One consequence of this development is that lawmaking and policy appraisal can no longer be seen as distinct activities. This course draws on the best regulatory scholarship to develop benchmarks and substantive know-how of regulatory quality. Specifically, the course enables the participants to manage the concepts, methods, and tools of smart regulation, covering new appraisal instruments as well as the wider strategies for regulatory management.

Topics

- Verities and techniques of smart regulation;
- Regulatory management and lawmaking;
- Regulatory techniques;
- Economic analysis of regulatory options;
- Pre-legislative scrutiny of primary and secondary legislation;
- Multilevel applications of impact assessment;
- Monitoring, evaluation and compliance;
- Impact assessment;
- Regulatory indicators;
- Consultation;
- Quality assurance.

Programme

Day 1 - Regulation in the smart economy
Day 2 - Process, techniques, and analysis
Day 3 - The multi-level dimension
Day 4 - Regulatory management

Participants

Public managers from various academic backgrounds working in lawmaking and regulation in government departments, agencies and international organizations.

Core teaching team

Claudio Radaelli (Professor of Political Science, University of Exeter, course director), Anne Meuwese (Marie Curie Fellow, University of Antwerp), Wim Voermans (Professor of Law, Leiden University). Other experts from academia and policy-making will be added to the team to deal with specialist topics and to share practical insights.

When?

From 13 to 16 October 2009
On-line registration opens: 11 June 2009

Costs

October edition (including 4 nights accommodation, side programme): € 3000,-. Pre-registration price, discounted rate (before 31 July 2009): € 2750,-.