Has complexity of EU law increased?
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The paper examines computationally whether the directives and regulations (DaRs) enacted in the European Union (EU) between 1990 and 2024 show signs of increased complexity. In total, a little over 1,7 thousand DaRs are examined based on snowball sampling. Eight metrics are used: a readability index and counts of articles, recitals, references, tokens, nouns, verbs, and adjectives. All except the readability index scores indicated increased complexity. With a caveat of fluctuations--complexity has not increased monotonically, the paper provides empirical evidence to enrich the quality of academic and political debates on the complexity of law and its consequences, including an alleged simplification need.
Source: Computer law & security review
Author: Jukka Ruohonen
Institution: University of Southern Denmark
Language: English
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4414373625
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