A New Tool in the Box?

Abstract

The year 2013 has witnessed a new entry in the EU “better regulation” toolbox: the Cumulated Cost Assessment (CCA). The CCA is set to answer an apparently simple question: what is the cumulative cost imposed by a selection of EU rules and policies on a given economic sector? In this contribution we present the CCA methodology and its building blocks, as well as the results of the first two empirical applications of this tool. More importantly, we elaborate on two key features that make the CCA a valuable addition to the better regulation toolbox: it creates a methodological bridge between the policy and competitiveness assessment instruments, and it clarifies empirically how a wide array of policies interact with one another when and after they are actually implemented, an element that is often a weak link in policy–appraisal. We conclude with some remarks on how the CCA opens the avenue for a set of challenging and interesting methodological and policy considerations.

Microfluidic Chip for the Photocatalytic Production of Active Chlorine

“…According to the Centre for European Policy Studies and Eurochlor, the annual amount of chlorine gas produced worldwide is estimated to be more than 65 metric tons, with an annual growth rate of 2.4%. More than 85% of the produced chlorine gas is used by the chemical industry . For the large-scale production of Cl 2 , chlor-alkali electrolysis is still rendering outstanding services as the dominating process .…”

Can We Better the European Union Better Regulation Agenda?

“…The Commission has already performed this type of exercise on several industrial sectors 43 by relying on the cumulative cost assessment (CCA) methodology. 44 Performing a CCA is a very complex and time-consuming exercise, 45 which can by no means be completed, in any policy area, by the end of 2021.…”