- Funding Programme
- Year
- 2022
Franco-German Barometer on Administrative Complexity
The European Commission aimed at supporting the creation of a measurement instrument for the identification of the most burdensome administrative procedures for citizens in the French and German border regions, to assess their complexity and put forward transformation recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness and interoperability of public services in both countries.
Context
Administrative complexity limits freedom of movement, imposing burdens on cross-border citizens facing multiple procedures, authorities and legal cultures. Challenges experienced include the lack of interoperability between public services in both countries, significant administrative barriers and complexity.
This project contributes to ongoing reforms to remove obstacles in border regions with a view to implementing cross-border projects and simplifying the daily lives of citizens, as foreseen in the Aachen Treaty on Franco-German Cooperation and Integration, by developing a common method to identify the most complex procedures for citizens in the border region, assess their complexity, and propose simplification recommendations.
Support delivered
An overview of existing instruments to measure administrative complexity in both countries was provided. A Franco-German Barometer aimed at identifying complexity within the cross-border area and tailored recommendations were developed. A note on effective simplification and transformation procedures was also developed.
Based on the Barometer’s results, three simplification pilots were carried out. Workshops were conducted to share results and introduce a simplification pack. Findings, simplification solutions and areas for reform were outlined in the OECD-led pilot on access to health. The two other pilots were led by national authorities and key results were presented at the end of the project.
Results achieved
This initiative was a concrete contribution to simplifying citizens’ lives and enhancing freedom of movement between Franco-German border areas, focusing specifically on EU citizens’ perspectives.
Key results include:
- The development of the Barometer tool and its implementation in the Franco-German area allowed for the identification of the most burdensome procedures for citizens living in the area.
- A summary of the general concept and methodology for the Barometer was developed, followed by a note on recommendations for the effective simplification and transformation of identified procedures.
- Simplifications pilots: The OECD led and concluded a pilot on access to health, resulting in recommendations for simplification. Two further pilots were conducted at national level.
- The expected impacts of these recommendations, if taken forward, are reduced administrative barriers and complexity, enhancing public trust as well as improving the daily lives of people living in Franco-German border region.
- The OECD methodology developed within this initiative was also introduced to the OECD Regulatory Policy Committee, spiking the interest of numerous OECD member and non-member countries, both in terms of cross-border work but also regarding an application of the Barometer methodology at subnational level.
More about the project
You can read the documents related to the project here: