bureaucracy

With iron regularity, texts appear in the public sphere about powerful lobby groups influencing politics, or even dictating to governments what legislation to adopt and what policies to pursue domestically and internationally. First, we need to analyze the idea of a wealthy entrepreneur who, instead of developing their business in a \'market-oriented\' way, spends their time trying to convince politicians to secure advantages for their business from the state.

In recent years, deregulation reforms have become a key step in many European countries toward simplifying rules and improving administrative efficiency. As a result, citizens and entrepreneurs have gained easier access to public services, and markets have become more business-friendly. But which specific reforms have delivered the best results — and how can other European nations benefit from their neighbors’ experiences?

There is a \'vibe shift\' going on around economic growth and deregulation. With new governments in the US and UK making radical reforms to pare back the regulatory state and foster growth and investment, the EU risks being left behind. Poland is positioning itself as the driving force behind a revival of European economic growth.

It is true that the role of career public officials in resisting authoritarian state capture is not properly appreciated. As Kisilowski points out, for the far-right, the “deep state” of liberal professional bureaucracy is frequently viewed as a prime opponent of the authoritarian agenda.

The second package to reduce the administrative burden on business in Slovakia has recently been approved. The first one was approved by the Parliament back in July 2020. It contained 115 measures. Back then, Ministry of Economy invited the public to send in further suggestions.

The Lithuanian government seems to have a clear vision and arguments about how we should move towards the green economy. More importantly, everyone is invested in making an actual change happen. Increased public awareness is already impacting our habits and behaviors.

Unfortunately, we will not celebrate the fifth year of the Bureaucracy Index in the Czech Republic with a reduction in the administrative burden. The bureaucratic burden on small businesses increased by 49 hours year-on-year to 272 hours.

The Slovak agricultural sector suffers from several problems that hinder the competitiveness of farmers: complicated land ownership, due to which (young) farmers cannot access fields, an unpredictable business environment and bureaucracy and, last but not least, lack of investment in capital equipment.

The administrative burden has decreased by one working day or 8 hours compared to last year, shows the 2019 Bureaucracy Index published by the Institute of Economic and Social Studies in cooperation with the Lithuanian Free Market Institute.

Bureaucracy is still a burden for both entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens. One of the reasons why the political “fight” has not achieved remarkable success in fighting the red tape, is a missing connection between politics and the everyday life of entrepreneurs.