Share
Create bookmark
OECD Reviews of Regulatory Reform: Switzerland 2006
Seizing the Opportunities for Growth
Do you like this document?
Notes
Please login to add notes
- Foreword
- Table of Contents
- Summary
-
+
Part I. Regulatory Reform in Switzerland
-
+
Chapter 1. Performance and Appraisal
- Introduction
-
+
Section 1. The Macroeconomic Context
-
+
Section 2. Regulatory Reform: Emerging Challenges and the Policy Responses to Date
-
+
Emerging challenges: underlying issues and trends
- A changing context for the effective deployment of Swiss democracy
- The blocking power of single issue groups
- + Changing roles and relationships within the Swiss federalist structure
- The need to manage the effects of an ageing population
- + Sustaining the universality of public services in a more open market
- The growing challenge of keeping up with EU structural and regulatory change
- + Swiss reforms to date
- Notes
-
+
Emerging challenges: underlying issues and trends
-
+
Section 3. Regulatory Reform: Strengthening the Foundations for Growth
- + An effective and dynamic regulatory policy as a tool for policy coherence and economic growth
-
+
Policy areas for regulatory reform in Switzerland
- + Promoting internal market competition: consolidating the “espace Suisse”
- + Promoting a positive environment for international trade and investment flows
- Promoting a more efficient and effective public sector
- Improving the performance of the infrastructure sectors
- Reforming other sectors which have a broad impact on the economy
- + Improving the climate for entrepreneurship and simplifying administrative requirements
- + Moving forward: regulatory policy, institutions and tools
- Conclusions
- Notes
- Bibiography
- Annex A. Controversies over the GDP Growth Rate and Productivity Growth Rate
-
+
Chapter 1. Performance and Appraisal
-
+
Part II. Regulatory Policies and Outcomes
- Introduction
-
+
Chapter 2. Regulatory Governance
- Introduction and context
- + Regulatory policies and institutions
- + Co-ordination between levels of government: federal-cantonal
- + Co-ordination between levels of government: national - EU
- + Transparency and consultation
- + Alternatives to regulation
- + Regulatory Impact Analysis
- + Keeping regulation up to date and reduce administrative burdens
-
+
Recommendations
- 1. Adopt regulatory reform at the political level.
- 2. Strengthen co-ordination mechanisms for regulatory reform.
- 3. Strengthen the RIA system with the correspondent capacities, integrating the SME Compatibility Test into it.
- 4. Strengthen communication mechanisms to inform about reforms.
- 5. Improve co-ordination between federal and cantonal authorities to increase effectiveness of regulatory policy.
- 6. Further simplify regulations, procedures and formalities by introducing ICT elements at federal and cantonal level, targeting SMEs.
- Notes
- Bibliography
-
+
Chapter 3. Competition Policy
- Introduction and context
- + Strengthening the competition law
- + Competition policy institutions and enforcement
- + The limits of competition policy: exemptions and special regulation
- + Competition advocacy for reform
-
+
Recommendations
- 1. Ensure that Competition Commission members are economically and politically independent.
- 2. Draw up rules of procedure specific to the law on cartels.
- 3. Increase the competition authorities’ resources.
- 4. Develop international co-operation in competition matters.
- 5. Replace the principle of preventing abuse by that of prohibiting cartels.
- 6. Strengthen competition in a number of regulated markets via increased co-operation between Comco and sectoral regulatory authorities.
- 7. Reconsider the role of the price supervisor and consumer protection.
- 8. Ensure an ambitious reform of the Internal Market Act.
- 9. Continue to increase competition in public procurement.
- 10. Accelerate and strengthen regulatory reforms targeting sheltered sectors.
- 11. Open up markets to more international competition.
- Notes
- Bibliography
-
+
Chapter 4. Market Openness
- + Introduction and context
-
+
The policy framework for market openness: the six efficient regulation principles
- Transparency
- Non-discrimination
- Avoiding unnecessary trade restrictiveness
- Encouraging the use of internationally harmonised measures
- Streamlining conformity assessment procedures through recognition of the equivalence of regulatory measures adopted by foreign countries
- Application of competition principles from an international perspective
- + Market openness and regulations in selected sectors
-
+
Recommendations
- 1. Better integrating market openness perspectives within the reform process would benefit growth and welfare, including the establishment of an official channel…
- 2. Implementing a standardised process allowing foreign enterprises to lodge appeals would further strengthen market openness.
- 3. Attention to maintaining transparency within the negotiating process will reduce the discriminatory impact of such agreements on third parties.
- 4. A specific obligation for Swiss RIAs to consider market openness implications will help to ensure against mis-assessments of proposed regulatory impacts.
- 5. Strengthening rather than safeguarding market openness towards trade and investment with economically vibrant regions economies outside Europe…
- 6. Increase the capacity of competition policy authorities to emphasise the importance of trade rules and market openness principles…
- Notes
- Bibliography
-
+
Chapter 5. A Framework for High Quality Regulation: Air Transport, Rail, Postal and Telecommunications Services
- + Introduction and context
- + Sectoral perspectives
- + Independence and accountability
- + Horizontal institutional architecture
- Powers for high quality regulation
- Assessing performance
- Modernising the regulatory framework for the Public Service
-
+
Recommendations
- 1. Improving the consistency of the regulatory framework in the sectors concerned through clearer mandates and objectives.
- 2. Strengthening regulatory structures in Switzerland in the sectors concerned through increased independence and resources.
- 3. Increasing the capacity of authorities to be accountable and strengthening communication with the public.
- 4. Increasing the powers of regulatory agencies, notably in terms of tariffs, inspections, investigations and sanctions.
- 5. Strengthening competition and consumer protection in the telecommunications, air transport, postal services and rail sectors through systematic agreements…
- 6. Improving the legal framework for appeals regarding regulation through a unified framework.
- Notes
- Bibliography
-
+
Chapter 6. Electricity Reform
- Introduction
- + Main features of the sector
- + The current legal and regulatory framework
- + Performance of the sector
- + The European dimension
- + The proposed reforms and their assessment
- + Taking reform forward
-
+
Recommendations
- + A. General recommendations
- + B. The EU dimension
-
+
C. Specific reform issues
- 8. Establish a fully independent regulator.
- 9. Establish an independent system operator.
- 10. Promote consumer choice and separate the issue of market opening from the provision of public service.
- 11. Ensure regulated and ex ante third party access to the grid.
- 12. Unbundle the grid effectively.
- 13. Encourage the development of a transparent wholesale power market.
- 14. Minimise distortions to competition from public (universal) service obligations.
- 15. Monitor the development of transmission (network use) pricing.
- 16. Promote market-based instruments for renewables support.
- Bibliography
This review explores the opportunities for better regulation within the Swiss institutional framework. In recent years, the rate of growth in Switzerland has been slower than the OECD average. If this continues, the country will be challenged to face the financial demands of a rapidly ageing population, and to maintain living standards. The Federal Government has started to implement a growth-oriented reform strategy, but further structural changes are required. This report discusses the need for promoting internal market competition, for adopting a country-wide strategy for regulatory quality and for improving the performance of the infrastructure sectors.It presents an overall picture, set within a macroeconomic context, of regulatory achievements and challenges including regulatory quality, competition policy, and market openness. Its special focus is on frameworks for high quality regulation in the air transport, rail, postal and telecommunications services as well as electricity reform.
Your free to read time expires in minutes. After that you have to pause for an hour.
Book Details
Editors
Categories
Political Science > Political Process > General
Publishers
Publication year : 2006
License: All rights reserved ©
Times read: 0
