The cabinet’s initiative to simplify government regulations for citizens is starting across four departments: the Ministry of Justice and Security, the Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, and the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning. State Secretary Eric van der Burg wrote in a letter to the House of Representatives that the initiative focuses primarily on technical legislative changes rather than major overhauls of existing systems.
The government intends to introduce a simplification law (vereenvoudigingswet) every year. This legislation will bundle technical amendments proposed by various ministries that require legal adjustments. The goal is to make interactions with the government easier for citizens, while enabling public authorities and executive agencies to work more efficiently.
Under Van der Burg’s proposal, the simplification law will follow a shorter processing timeline. The public consultation period will last four weeks instead of the standard six weeks. Advisory bodies, such as the Council of State, will also be given less time to review the plans. As a result, the legislation should come into force after one year rather than two.
The coalition agreement between D66, VVD and CDA states that improving government efficiency could save up to 400 million euros annually. Van der Burg’s letter did not specify how much money this first round of simplifications is expected to save. The initial target was to simplify 500 rules by this summer, though the final count fell slightly short at just over 400.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
