Recent constitutional thinking has directed its attention to the profound impact of 'soft' norms on the way legislation is made. This book identifies the European Union's impact assessment regime as a source of these norms. In 2002 the European Commission - later followed by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers - committed to performing rigorous assessment of the economic, social and environmental impacts of policy options before adopting (legislative) proposals. Applying a 'constitutional lens' to this 'regulatory' topic, Anne Meuwese examines both the details and the...