Abstract

For a long time now legislators have taken into consideration the need to draft legislation in a clear, understandable language. The classical tool to train legislative drafters has been by way of manuals, listing recommendations and prohibitions. Not very many researches have been conducted in an empirical way on the real efficacy of these tools. However, the results gathered by the existing literature on the issue show that manuals only have a limited impact on the final result of legislative drafting. One of the main drawbacks of guidelines is their length and analytical character. Often drafters complain of some contradictions between suggested practices. New instruments are now being experimented, mainly though IT applications. Some questions are left unanswered on the impact these software will have on the style and efficacy of legislative provisions.