Europe’s regulatory process is notoriously complex and fragmented. The European Economic and Social Committee has come up with ideas how to use digital technologies to make it easier to navigate.
Every year, the European Union produces around 18.000 pages of new binding legislation. For an average citizen to read it all, it would take about 720 hours, roughly two hours a day, every single day. Now, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is calling for digital tools and artificial intelligence to make navigating EU law more accessible, without sacrificing democratic oversight.
Machine-readable laws
In an opinion issued this summer, the EESC recommended that every new EU legal act be accompanied by a “clear, easy-to-understand and concise summary”. These summaries, drafted by regulators but structured for digital processing, would allow AI to detect overlaps, inconsistencies, and gaps by linking related provisions and showing how rules from different sources interact.
The committee stressed that “online tools can help gather input” but must not “replace traditional methods of engaging with trade unions, social partners, and especially vulnerable communities.” Technology, the EESC emphasised, should “help legislators rather than replacing them.”
Complexity and costs of EU law
Alena Mastantuono, EESC rapporteur of Regulatory simplification – the use of digital tools in better law-making, warned that the EU’s legislative process remains outdated. “Europe regulatory process still reflects 19th-century thinking,” she said, describing it as “complex, fragmented and difficult to navigate”.
According to Ms Mastantuono, the cost of this complexity is substantial: “In 2022, recurring administrative costs in the EU amount to approximately €150bn.” She emphasised that digital tools could be improved “for law making while ensuring safeguards to prevent discrimination, bias, and other potential inaccuracies.”
You might be interested
Such tools, Mastantuono added, could also help “enhance legal consistency and transparency, reduce single market barriers and administrative burdens,” and, most importantly, “increase trust in public institutions and improve compliance.”
Smarter lawmaking
The EESC’s opinion also sets out concrete proposals to modernise EU law-making. Beyond requiring concise, plain-language summaries for all new legal acts, the committee also calls for a unified, interoperable EU digital platform to centralise legal texts and metadata.
This system would allow real-time consistency checks, map legal interdependencies, and encourage harmonised language across member states, all while reducing administrative red tape. Ms Mastantuono highlighted that the EESC “offers solutions and puts forward recommendations on how the EU’s law-making process should evolve – leveraging digital tools and mapping legal obligations more effectively.”
“In the era of cloud computing and AI, it is paradoxical that Europe’s legislative machinery still operates with a mindset reminiscent of Napoleonic times” – Alena Mastantuono, opinion rapporteur
At the same time, the committee stresses a human-centred approach with AI supporting legislators by analysing trends, stakeholder input, and compliance data, but never replacing human judgment. Co-rapporteur Tymoteusz Zych added: “A general review of EU law should be citizen-focused and data-driven. We must ensure that laws remain fit for purpose – for citizens, SMEs, and the environment.”
Regulation technology
Ms Mastantuono highlighted Regulation Technology, technology applied to law, as a transformative solution. “In the era of cloud computing and AI, it is paradoxical that Europe’s legislative machinery still operates with a mindset reminiscent of Napoleonic times,” she argued. Despite modern digital tools, the EU regulatory framework remains complex, making compliance difficult and eroding trust in institutions.
Some member states have already demonstrated the potential of digital legal platforms. In Czechia, the Legal Electronic System, a digital platform combines access to existing laws with tools for drafting and publishing new regulations. Estonia allows companies to retrieve necessary data directly from business registers, simplifying administrative procedures and reducing duplication.
At the EU level, LEOS (Legislation Editing Open Software) provides officials with an open-source platform to draft legislation collaboratively, offering version control, annotations, and compliance with EU legal formatting standards.
Testing before trusting
The EESC cautions against rushing digital adoption. Before AI or other tools are rolled out, there must be careful testing, official training, and accessible channels for citizens to provide feedback or report issues. Technology, the committee insists, should complement human judgment, not replace it.
“In 2022, recurring administrative costs in the EU amount to approximately 150 billion euros” – Alena Mastantuono, opinion rapporteur
Ms Mastantuono, in a recent opinion article, emphasised that “the tools in question already exist in Europe, as do some initial success stories. What the EU now needs is a RegTech leader who can put the pieces of the puzzle together, break down siloed mentalities, and bring this century’s thinking into governance.” She added that the private sector is “responding positively to this call and is ready to play its part”.
