Since 2006, the Portuguese Simplex Programme has become one of Europe’s most notable initiatives in administraive simplification and digital transformation. Designed to cut red tape, reduce compliance costs, and improve the relationship between citizens, businesses, and the State, Simplex has served as a laboratory for public sector reform and a reference case in the international debate on better regulation.
In Policy Paper 36 of the Institute of Public Policy (IPP) – “Lessons for Administrative Simplification: The Portuguese Simplex Programme” – authors Rúben Bento (IPP-Lisbon) and Steffen Hoernig (IPP-Lisbon & Nova SBE) review almost two decades of the programme. The paper analyses its design, implementation, and evolution, and identifies key lessons for Portugal and the EU as both move forward with ambitious strategies for regulatory streamlining and public administration reform.
Key insights from the paper include:
How Simplex reduced bureaucratic burdens and compliance costs for businesses and citizens.
The role of digitalisation and interoperability in transforming public services.
The importance of citizen and civil servant participation in shaping simplification measures.
Structural challenges: coordination across ministries and municipalities, uneven evaluation practices, and digital inclusion.
Implications for Portugal’s current “War on Bureaucracy” and for the EU’s competitiveness and better regulation agenda.
Read the Policy Paper here: Lessons for Administrative Simplification: The Portuguese Simplex Programme
About the Authors
Rúben Bento is a researcher at the Institute of Public Policy.
Steffen Hoernig is Professor of Economics at Nova School of Business and Economics and Associate Researcher at the IPP.
About the Institute of Public Policy
The Institute of Public Policy (IPP) is a Portuguese, academic, and independent think tank. Its mission is to contribute to the continuous improvement of public debate and the analysis of institutions and public policies, with a focus on Portugal and Europe, through the production and dissemination of relevant, evidence-based research.