The economic reconstruction of Iraq includes broad regulatory reform to move from a socialist to a market economy. The Government of Iraq (GoI) has decided to launch a program of systemic reform to update its legal/regulatory policies and policy instruments, stimulate market-driven growth in the private sector, and boost national competitiveness. Iraq has inherited a massive accumulation of legal norms, with around 25,000 legal norms on the books dating back almost 100 years at the national level, and more added every week. Some of these legal norms are sensible and well designed for the future of the country, but many are unneeded, outdated or inconsistent with the new Constitution. There are also contradictions, inconsistencies, and complexities through the legal framework that are burdensome for citizens and businesses, and that discourage development in Iraq.

As part of the USAID-funded Iraq National and Provincial Administrative Reform Project, Jacobs, Cordova & Associates is designing a broad Regulatory Guillotine™, using international best practices, at the national level to count, review, and improve the national regulatory framework affecting business activity and the lives of citizens. The GoI has decided to name this reform ISRAR (Iraq Solution for Regulatory and Administrative Reform), which means in Arabic “determination”. The ISRAR reform, to operate from 2012-2014, will be operated by Iraqi reform units, overseen by the Iraqi government, and operating under Iraqi law and constitutional frameworks. Decisions to revise or eliminate regulations will be taken by the Iraqi Government or the Iraqi Parliament, using expedited legal procedures such as the omnibus package.

USAID, Iraq, 2011-2015.

In September 2009, the NATP-3 project was awarded by the European Commission to a consortium of Regulaid and Jacobs, Cordova & Associates Europe. The general objective of this contract is to support and to further improve mutually beneficial Information Society cooperation between Europe and the Mediterranean Partner Countries, building on the achievements of NATP II and other Regional initiatives and consequently to facilitate the creation of a harmonized and investment friendly environment in the electronic communications sector. NATP assists the regulatory authorities in the Mediterranean partner countries. Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey.

European Commission 2009-2013.

The project consisted of assisting the international organization REC Turkey with a managerial approach to undertake the RIAs of the BIRD, Habitat, Seveso, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Waste Management European Union Directives through a robust methodological system and a series of RIA techniques. The consultancy has consisting in assisting the preparation of full-fledged RIAs from the planning, to the setting up a methodological approach, ensuring quality for each and all the RIAs, and presenting general results to the Minister of Environment and the EU Commission. In particular the project has focused on (i) the design of a customized management and oversight system based on a precise action plan involving the five RIAs; (ii) the development of a “state of the art” methodology for undertaking the RIAs and building capacities of REC Turkey leadership and RIA task forces for undertaking RIAs adapted to Turkey, to the EU harmonization process, and to the environmental goals of the Directives, and (iii) the insurance of the quality of individual RIA as well as the whole package of RIAs through a system of quality criteria and scoreboards.

REC Turkey, 2009-2011.

Jacobs, Cordova & Associates assisted the World Bank /IFC to carry out the Impact Analysis of reforming the Inspection System in Jordan. In order to reduce the high compliance costs and risks for businesses as well as increase the cost effectiveness of 13 key inspectorates in the Country, the project identified the best options and recommended policy reforms to the Economic Development Committee of Ministers. Concretely the project undertook an Impact Analysis of the different inspection models/practices that have been recently launched and implemented in the world to reduce the burden on the private sector resulting from overlap and duplication of inspection functions. The gathering of evidence included the organization of study tours to countries which have recently reformed their inspection system. See World Bank Success Story: Inspections Reform in Jordan Reduces Regulatory Burdens to Businesses

Jordan, World Bank, 2011.

Jacobs, Cordova & Associates is working with Deloitte as the main technical experts for the better business environment component in the USAID Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality (SABEQ) project in Jordan. For example, we are working to improve Jordan’s performance in the doing business indicators, to improve legal transparency and security in Jordan through better legal publication and consultation practices, and to boost the capacities of private sector trade associations to participate constructively in policymaking. We are also working with Deloitte and the Government of Jordan to boost the advocacy capacities of trade associations, to increase Jordan's ranking in the Doing Business indicators by re-engineering and streamlining business licensing, by offering specialized RIA training, and for exploring application of the regulatory guillotine as a national simplification program.. See Project Webpage here: http://www.sabeq-jordan.org/Sabeq_Public/main_Sabeq_Public_master.aspx?site_id=1&Page_id=2&REGION=1&LANG=3

Jordan, USAID, 2006-2012

Jacobs, Cordova & Associates, partnered with the College of Europe to assist the University of Jordan in the development of a Regulatory Master’s Program and to provide capacity-building support through the first year’s Master’s program. This project provides a platform for enhancing effective regulation in the Jordanian infrastructure sector (and the region) through an endogenous process of developing skilled professionals able to take regulation reform forward successfully. See program information here: http://www.coleurop.be/content/development/references-academiccooperation/Jordan.html

Jordan, University of Jordan and the European Commission 2008

• Eliminating, streamlining, and simplifying hundreds or thousands of existing border controls, regulations, licenses and permits to remove barriers to entry, reduce regulatory costs, and improve transparency in the overall regulatory environment. We are doing that through the efficient Regulatory Guillotine™ process.
• Building better regulatory application and regulatory client services by improving transparency and due process for businesses through creation of a central, secure, electronic registry of regulations and business licenses; reform of inspection and testing functions to apply good business-friendly practices, which are recognized as international best practices, and efficient implementation of licenses and permits through rationalisation of delivery mechanisms such as an interlinked one-stop shop system (OSS) at street level.
• Sustaining the gains by assessing impacts and consulting on the on-going flow of new regulations by adopting processes and tools for checking and assessing the quality of new laws and regulations, such as the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) principles of good regulation and meaningful stakeholder consultation at the early stages of regulatory development.
• Speeding up and sustaining implementation by building new regulatory institutions and strengthening the existing ones. This requires the creation of a central “engine of reform” linked to the top of government and a public-private oversight body for quality control of laws and regulations to promote, oversee, and monitor results over the medium-term. Finally, we are creating and reviewing the capacities of infrastructure regulators and competition authorities.

In January 2010, the Economic Committee of the Cabinet gave the green light to a new Regulatory Reform initiative in Syria, the Regulatory Guillotine. . See Press Release here:http://www.regulatoryreform.com/pdfs/Syria%20Guillotine%20Press%20Release.pdf

Syria, European Commission, 2008-2011

Turkey, Economic Development Foundation , 2008.

Turkey, Eurohorizons Consulting & Communications, 2008.

Jacobs, Cordova & Associates designed a 19-month Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) training program for Turkish senior officials and rule makers as well as a communication and outreach initiative for private stakeholders. Jacobs, Cordova & Associates implemented this comprehensive training program through a series of seminars, workshops, study tours, and internet-enhanced help desk. We also monitored and benchmarked the institutional setting for rule making in Turkey. The project also included a review and enhancement of Turkish consultation policies and practices in particular through the setting of minimum quality standards.

Turkey, European Commission, 2008-2009.

In response to EC adoption of the communication "Better Regulation for Growth and Jobs in the European Union", Turkey is focusing on how to improve its regulatory capacity. This six-month project built capacities at the Better Regulation Unit at the Prime Minister’s Office and ministry level to help all the public administration to comply by February 2007 with the new RIA requirements mandated by the “Government Decree on Procedures and Principles of Legislation Drafting”. The final report presented action plan for long-term RIA training and capabilities in Turkey. An important element of the project was the Pilot RIA of the law reforming and restructuring the public laboratories in the country.

Turkey, European Commission, 2007.