Background
The Office of the Council of Ministers (OCM) is advancing a programme to reshape how Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is applied to draft legal instruments across ministries and central agencies. Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is used by government bodies to evaluate the potential economic, social, and administrative impacts of draft legal instruments.
Deputy Prime Minister Vongsey Vissoth chaired the OCM-led steering committee meeting on 31 July 2026 to review progress and set directions for reforming the RIA framework. The reform package discussed includes the creation of project management capacity, specialised task forces, strategic and action plans, and budgeted implementation mechanisms to integrate RIA into policy and rulemaking processes.
Scope of Application
The steering committee proposed that RIA processes be embedded into the preparation of policy and legal instruments by ministries and institutions, with the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers coordinating implementation at the central level. The planned scope covers upstream impact assessment for draft laws, sub-decrees, prakas and other formal instruments that affect business, investment, and public administration.
Key Provisions or Decisions
At the meeting, participants agreed on a set of operational measures to strengthen RIA practice, including establishing a project management unit (PMU) to oversee implementation and forming two specialised task forces to carry out technical work. The committee also tasked responsible units with drafting a strategic plan, an operational action plan, and a budgeted project plan to fund RIA activities.
Implications for Investors, Businesses, or Compliance
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that past shortcomings in RIA had contributed to negative effects on business, the economy, and citizens when impact assessment was not sufficiently thorough. Robust and institutionalised RIA is intended to provide evidence for decision-making and to limit unintended adverse impacts of regulatory instruments on investment and commercial activity.
Official Source
Official statement from the Office of the Council of Ministers, Facebook post dated 31 July 2026: source.
