IA TOOLS

IA TOOLS is an online platform that provides Commission policy actors and impact assessment practitioners throughout Europe with a repository of guidance, information and best practices for the impact assessment of new policies and legislative measures. At one click, the IA TOOLS website provides expert and non-expert with guidance on the main steps to be followed to perform an impact assessment. It contains an inventory of social, economic and environmental impact indicators. It also offers a comprehensive picture of the qualitative and quantitative tools available for the analysis of policies impact as well as access to up-to-date databases. IA TOOLS is structured in four main sections:

The impact inventory

This section provides information of the impact areas and indicators (economic, environmental and social) as described in the European Commission IA guidelines. Furthermore, it provides direct links into relevant data resources for the individual impact areas.

The model inventory

This section helps the user determine whether the impacts of a certain policy proposal can be assessed and quantified using existing models.

The good practice inventory

This is a collection of examples of impact assessments carried out since 2003, showing all stages of impact assessment, from description of the problem to stakeholder consultation.

The IA TOOLS handbook

This section describes, categorises and takes the user to impact assessment information and data bases available from the European Commission, research projects, Member States and international organisations.