"We need to make a significant effort to reduce the administrative burden on business. This is also one of our priorities in the START economic transformation plan. Initiatives have already been registered in the Seimas and I have issued an order to subordinate bodies to cut red tape by at least 30%. By implementing the plans to cut red tape, businesses will be able to focus more on their own development, which will make the whole country more competitive and facilitate investment growth," said Lukas Savickas, Minister of the Economy and Innovation.
The administrative burden is calculated by looking at the time spent by business staff per year to implement the requirements, while the adaptation costs are calculated by adding up the costs needed to implement the new requirement - e.g. for equipment, software, materials, premises, staff training, etc.
Last year, the adoption of new national legislation was the main contributor to administrative burden and compliance costs, amounting to €52.81 million. On the other hand, the impact of legislation of European Union and international origin was lower, with an increase of €9.77 million. In 2024, 12 institutions reduced their administrative burden and compliance costs, while 11 increased them.
The State Tax Inspectorate was the most important institution in reducing the regulatory burden on business, with a reduction of 52.2%. This was due to the adoption of rules on the use of electronic receipts, which reduced costs for businesses by a total of €4.41 million. The rules provide that the electronic receipt is considered as an alternative to an electronic document, so that the taxpayer does not have to submit two separate documents at the same time: an electronic receipt and an electronic invoice.
In second place was the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, which reduced the burden by 16.2%. This was mainly due to the amendments to the Law on Sport, which reduced the burden on pre-school, pre-primary and general education teachers who lead physical activity activities, as they no longer need to fulfil the status of sports specialists. The total value of this relief was almost €1.95 million.
In third place was the Public Procurement Service, which reduced the regulatory burden by 14.4%. The most significant reduction came from the adoption of the Rules for the Approval of Standard Terms and Conditions for Public Contracts for the Sale of Goods for Suppliers Participating in International and Simplified Public Procurement, which amounted to almost €1.26 million.
The Fire and Rescue Service increased its regulatory burden the most, by 85.8%, through the adoption of amendments to the General Fire Safety Regulations. Additional requirements were introduced for hazardous and non-hazardous waste storage sites, which will result in significant investment costs for businesses of more than €64.04 million.
The Ministry of Energy also increased the regulatory burden by 5.1% - €3.77 million. This increase is due to the need to ensure the safety requirements of information and production control systems for electricity generation and energy storage installations with an installed capacity of more than 100 kW.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications increased this burden by 3.8%. The adoption of the amendment to the Road Transport Code led to an increase in regulatory costs of almost EUR 3.31 million. The Code introduces new requirements, such as the obligation to use a taximeter registered in the name of the haulier and connected to a printer, or a taximeter and a cash register.
EIMIN collects information twice a year from public authorities on the legislation they have adopted that has an impact on the administrative burden. Information on administrative burden has been collected since 2014, and from 2023, information on regulatory adjustment costs will also be collected.
