Webinar, 28 January 2026, 17:00 – 18:00 CET
In 2025, the EU quietly but fundamentally changed how it makes law. Under the banner of simplification and competitiveness – amplified by geopolitical pressure and demands for speed – the European Commission turned to omnibus legislation as a central deregulatory tool. Its first omnibus packages bundled unrelated measures, relied on urgency as a default justification, and were prepared without impact assessments or meaningful public consultation.
In 2026, what began as an exception now risks becoming the rule. Through a new Call for Evidence on “Better Regulation,” the Commission proposes formalising these practices, arguing that an increasingly “volatile geopolitical environment” requires faster, more flexible lawmaking. The result would be a framework in which core safeguards – impact assessments, consultations, and scrutiny – apply only when the Commission itself deems them “proportionate”.
Two warning signs stand out:
→ Impact assessments are reframed not as democratic necessities, but as potential obstacles to “swift and decisive action.”
→ A four-week consultation, published initially in only three languages, proposes to weaken the very consultation system it claims to improve.
If adopted, this shift would concentrate discretionary power in the hands of the Commission and normalise lawmaking with fewer checks, less evidence, and reduced public participation.
Join The Good Lobby to unpack what’s at stake—and how civil society, experts, and policymakers can respond – before the consultation deadline.
Date: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Time: 17:00 – 18:00 CET
Venue: Online webinar, Zoom
Register here
