The road to EU Inc, milestone by milestone
EU Inc did not appear overnight. It moved from a founder petition to two major EU reports to a formal Commission proposal in under two years. Here is where things stand, with the current step marked.
Enrico Letta's single-market report, "Much more than a market", argues that legal fragmentation holds European companies back and floats a common European legal status.
Mario Draghi's report on European competitiveness recommends a 28th regime so innovative companies can scale across the EU without re-incorporating in each country.
Andreas Klinger and a coalition of founders and investors launch the EU Inc petition; it passes 13,000 signatures within months and 24,000 by 2026.
The European Commission Competitiveness Compass officially announces it will create a 28th regime of simplified, EU-wide corporate rules.
The Commission strategy "Choose Europe to Start and Scale" commits to bringing the 28th regime proposal forward.
A call for evidence and public consultation on the 28th regime draws more than 870 responses from founders, investors, unions and legal experts.
The European Parliament adopts its 28th-regime recommendations by 492 votes to 144, led by rapporteur René Repasi, ahead of the Commission proposal.
On 18 March 2026 the Commission publishes the Regulation (COM(2026) 321), presented by Commissioner Michael McGrath, the formal start of the legislation.
The aim is political agreement between the Parliament and the Council on a final text by the end of 2026.
After adoption, the rules are expected to apply roughly 12 months later, so founders can realistically register an EU Inc around 2027-2028.
What happens next
The draft regulation now goes through the EU's ordinary legislative procedure. The European Parliament and the Council of the EU each take a position, then negotiate a single agreed text. The Commission has signalled it wants political agreement by the end of 2026. Once the regulation is adopted, a transition period (expected to be around 12 months) gives member states and registries time to prepare before founders can register.
Dates can still move. A regulation of this scope touches company law, insolvency and tax-adjacent rules in every member state, so negotiations may extend. We update this page as each step lands and log the detail in EU Inc news.
What founders should do now
If your plans cannot wait until 2027-2028, you do not have to. The closest thing to EU Inc that exists today is an EU company you can form online, often an Estonian OÜ that is ready in about three days. Setting one up now also positions you to adopt EU Inc later, as we cover in how to prepare an EU Inc company.
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