Can EU Inc still make business easier? Ask the Euronews AI chatbot

Published on 26/10/2026 - 9:30 GMT+1•Updated 9:32

The European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) failed to agree on the draft report on EU Inc on 19 October, having already postponed the vote on 5 October. Disagreements among MEPs over workers' rights are driving the deadlock.

EU Inc is an EU-wide company structure that lets businesses register in one member state and operate across the bloc. It would follow a shared set of rules, the “28th corporate regime”, so founders wouldn’t have to navigate 27 different national frameworks.

Proposed by the European Commission in March 2026, EU Inc aims to make it easier and cheaper to set up a business in the EU. It tackles the fragmentation across Europe’s startup ecosystems and boosts collaboration, talent mobility, and access to funding.

Founders could set up a company fully online within 48 hours, with starting capital of €1 and no notary. Registration and documentation are handled in English, with no translation or local-language requirements when operating abroad.

While EU leaders agreed to finalise the law by year-end, pushback is coming from multiple fronts.

EU Inc founders argue that months of negotiations had weakened the proposal. On 15 October, in a public statement they accused the EU of reducing EU Inc to a fast-track registration process by stripping away its core features, including free choice of registration and a common-stock framework to attract talent.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) warn that a proposal threatens workers’ rights. On 24 September and 20 October, trade unions from across the bloc protested in Brussels and Strasbourg, warning that it would let companies use lighter corporate rules to circumvent national labour laws and social standards.

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