On the morning of 7/8, the National Assembly held a group discussion on amending 10 laws in the agriculture and environment sectors. The aim is to reduce administrative procedures and simplify business conditions.

Representative Dang Ngoc Huy, Vice Chairman of the Committee for Deputy Affairs, stated that the true measure of reform is not the number of procedures abolished, but whether the time, cost, and compliance burden on citizens and businesses are genuinely reduced.

He cited the process for importing animals and animal products, regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Although the licensing procedure was abolished, shipments are only cleared after receiving "approval documents and quarantine guidelines" from the management agency. This means that while the procedure's name has changed, businesses still submit applications, await state agency approval, and incur costs as before the reforms.

"They say permits are abolished, but if they are replaced by approval documents, confirmations, guidelines, or consents, then in essence, businesses still have to seek permission," he stated.

The representative believes this situation stems from a reform approach prioritizing form over substance. If laws only control documents explicitly named "permits" while ignoring documents of similar effect, the goal of reducing business conditions will be difficult to achieve. Management agencies may report a reduction in abolished procedures, but businesses will not experience a decrease in time or costs.

He proposed that all administrative documents, regardless of their name, if they impose mandatory conditions on investment, production, or business activities, must be classified as business conditions and subject to corresponding control mechanisms. This approach would prevent minor permits from reappearing in other forms after reforms.

Representative Dang Ngoc Huy, Vice Chairman of the Committee for Deputy Affairs, speaking at the group discussion on the morning of 7/8. *Photo: Ngoc Thanh*.

Representative Dang Ngoc Huy also noted the risks of shifting from pre-inspection to post-inspection. While this is an appropriate management method, it must be accompanied by digital databases, clear risk classification mechanisms, and accountability. Without these conditions, regulations might be loosened, but the frequency and intensity of actual inspections could increase. Businesses would then not reduce their compliance burden; instead, they would face greater legal risks.

According to him, post-inspection should be based on a business's compliance level. Well-compliant entities should have reduced inspection frequency, while only those at risk of violations require strict monitoring. Each procedure should also be assigned to a single lead agency with comprehensive responsibility, preventing businesses from having to seek input from multiple sources.

Additionally, the representative proposed evaluating reform effectiveness through independent surveys of citizens and businesses. Key criteria must include processing time, compliance costs, and actual satisfaction levels, rather than merely the number of amended documents or procedures declared abolished. "If the gap between reform reports and business experiences widens, trust in the reform policy will diminish, directly impacting the investment and business environment," he said.

Son Ha