CADS10 Castellano. 2006 - Generalitat de Catalunya

department can gradually include this type of processes according to its own will with
the backing of a central promoting unit. In fact, this was the option adopted by the
Directorate General of Citizen Participation of the Generalitat de Catalunya when
introducing increased openness to participation in the regulatory process in Catalonia.
3.2. Assessment of regulatory impact on sustainability in Catalonia
It should be remembered that the proposal of this study goes beyond a proposal for
regulatory impact assessment (RIA) in the traditional sense and aims to implement
assessment of regulatory impact on sustainability (ARIS). In the event of developing
a regulatory assessment procedure with these characteristics, Catalonia would adopt
a proactive attitude and become a pioneer in Spain.
It is a well known fact that the government of Catalonia is politically committed to
the achievement of sustainable development. This objective must be introduced
at a transversal level by means of horizontally introducing specific political instruments
that enable assessment of the sustainability of government action in every
department.
The verification that sustainability requires a prior assessment of every decision
necessarily implies extending the assessment requirements to the regulatory
instruments. This is what makes ARIS so interesting. ARIS, as a tool for systematic,
multi-dimensional assessment of the positive and negative aspects of regulation in
the context of the principles of sustainable development, is a key instrument for assessing
the compatibility of regulation with objectives of sustainable development.
So, what would an assessment instrument with these characteristics be like? The
following is a proposal regarding the possible contents of an assessment of regulatory
impact on assessment (method of application), followed by an introduction to certain
aspects relating to organisational design.
3.2.1. Method of application
ARIS should not be seen as a series of steps that are added to the regulatory
process, but rather as an instrument that aims to include the viewpoint of
sustainability in the core of the process. With a view to maximising its effectiveness,
we recommend applying it to laws, legislative decrees and regulations that can have
291