Agenda
Day 1 - Monday
18th August 2025
08.30 – 09.00
Registration and Welcome coffee
09.00 – 09.30
Introduction of the summer school and presentation of participants
09.30 – 10.30
Session 1: Better Regulation in the European Union
Speaker: Erik Akse
Content:
- Farewell to the EU’s institutional triangle
- Strategic view of the European Union: EU Policy Cycle
- The role of Impact Assessment in the EU
10.30 – 11.00
Session 2: Working with Better Regulation in the EU
Speaker: Erik Akse
Content:
- Commission vs stakeholders: views and experiences
- Experiences and reports presented by stakeholders engaging with the European Institutions
Group work:
- Group discussion about past experience and key files for the future
11.00 – 11.30
Coffee Break
11.30 – 12.30
Session 3: Understanding Commission policy planning
Speaker: Erik Akse
Content:
- Strategic Planning Cycle of the European Commission
- Strategic plans
- Management plans
Group work:
- Analysis of a Strategic Plan and a Management Plan of a Commission DG
- Group discussion
12.30 – 14.00
Lunch and coffee break
14.00 – 16.00
Session 4: The content of Impact Assessments in the EU
Speaker: Erik Akse
Content:
- EU Impact Assessments: topics and structure
- Information used in Impact Assessments
- Challenges with data availability and quality with means to overcome these
Group work:
- Group discussion on experiences with EU Impact Assessment (these discussions will be used to illustrate the limits and risks to policy analysis)
Closing of day 1 and Q&A
Day 2 - Tuesday
19th August 2025
09.00 – 11.00
Session 5: Process for developing Impact Assessments in the EU
Speaker: Erik Akse
Content:
- Procedural steps for developing Impact Assessments
- Consultation for Impact Assessments
- Actors involved within the European Commission
11.00 – 11.30
Coffee Break
11.30 – 12.30
Session 6: Working with Impact Assessments from the outside
Speaker: Erik Akse and Joost Mulder
Exercise:
- You know that an IA gets started! How best to prepare?
12.30 – 14.00
Lunch and coffee break
14.00 – 16.00
Session 7: (Un-)predictable Commission: expectations for policy development until 2029 and the decision-making processes
Speaker: Erik Akse and Joost Mulder
Content:
- Political outline for the European Union 2024-2029
Group work:
- Know your files: state of play implementation of the Political Priorities 2024 – 2029 of VDL II
Closing of day 2 and Q&A
Day 3 - Wednesday
20th August 2025
09.00 – 11.00
Session 8: The legislative process in detail (part 1): the European Parliament and evidence-based policy
Speaker: Joost Mulder
Content:
- Understanding the different steps in the internal decision-making inside the Parliament
- When and where to intervene
- The role of evidence-based policy and impact assessment
Group work:
- Case study: Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
11.00 – 11.30
Coffee Break
11.30 – 12.30
Session 9: Politics vs evidence: two sides of the same coin?
Speaker: Joost Mulder and Erik Akse
Content:
- The role of evidence in fast-moving political environments
- Preparation: the key to success
- European Commission: how political is the College?
- Deviations from the principle of evidence-based policy-making
- Proactive high-level political agenda setting by the European Commission
12.30 – 14.00
Lunch and coffee break
14.00 – 16.00
Session 10: The European Parliamentary Research Service
Speakers: Erik Akse and Joost Mulder
Content:
- EPRS: roles and tasks
- Examples of EPRS outputs
Group work:
- Case study: How to work with the EPRS mandate?
Closing of day 3 and Q&A
Day 4 - Thursday
21st August 2025
09.00 – 11.00
Session 11: The legislative process in detail (part 2): the Council of the EU and evidence-based policy
Speaker: Joost Mulder
Content:
- Understanding the different steps in the internal decision-making inside the Council
- When and where to intervene
- The role of evidence-based policy and impact assessment
Group work:
Case study: Sustainable Finance Taxonomy
11.00 – 11.30
Coffee Break
11.30 – 12.30
Session 12: The legislative process in detail (part 3): the trilogue negotiations and evidence-based policy
Speaker: Joost Mulder
Content:
- Understanding the different steps in the inter-institutional trilogue negotiations
- When and where to intervene
The role of evidence-based policy and impact assessment
12.30 – 14.00
Lunch and coffee break
14.00 – 16.00
Session 13: The big wrap-up
Speakers: Erik Akse and Joost Mulder
Content:
- The EU Policy Cycle: who is in charge?
- Bringing it all together: evidence-based decision-making in the EU: the ups and the down, the good and the ugly, the do’s and the don’ts’
Group work:
- Group debate
- Final round of questions