Estonia's government applied regulatory brake to one-third of draft laws

Estonia's government applied the "one-in, one-out" principle to reduce administrative burden on one-third of all draft laws submitted for review last year. The measure is aimed at curbing bureaucracy and reducing regulatory burden on businesses.

Estonia's government applied a regulatory brake to curb bureaucracy on one-third of all draft laws submitted for review last year. This is the "one-in, one-out" principle, which aims to ensure that every new administrative burden is offset by the elimination of an existing one.

The principle is part of the government's broader programme to reduce bureaucracy, designed to protect businesses and citizens from excessive regulation. When a new draft law introduces additional obligations, equivalent existing requirements must be removed simultaneously to offset the costs.

The one-third share of all draft laws shows that the mechanism has begun to significantly influence the state's legislative process. However, this raises the question of why the principle was not applied to the remaining two-thirds of draft laws and what criteria determine its application.

Reducing administrative burden has been one of the Estonian government's stated priorities, particularly in the context of maintaining the competitiveness of the business environment. The consistent application of the regulatory brake is therefore an important signal to both domestic entrepreneurs and foreign investors.