Better Regulation

The discourse of Better Regulation is a hot topic intimately associated with the drive for cost savings and a more efficient economy. In the UK and in the EU rule-makers have lately endeavored to achieve a more satisfactory balance between the demands of proper protection from market failure and inequity on the one hand and commercial freedom and the potential for innovation on the other. But who is the regulator listening to and what effect does this have on the regulatory pattern governing the integrating EU market? What is the best practice in the matter of regulatory assessment. The essays in this collection explore these and other questions and will foster greater understanding of UK and EU regulation the accountability issues involved and problems of enforcement. It is no coincidence that since efforts to construct a Constitution for Europe have stalled the attention of policy-makers politicians and the business community has turned instead to the quest for Better Regulation - or perhaps it might be said a Better European Union.