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EU Inc.: One Company, One EU
Published March 18, 2026
Goal: Simplify EU company setup
Community improvement
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The EU Inc. resolution creates a single, cheap, digital company form that lets businesses start, grow, and operate across the EU in 48 hours for €100, with one‑time paperwork, no minimum capital, and easy cross‑border branches.
EU “EU Inc.” – 28th Regime Corporate Legal Framework
The European Commission proposes a new, single EU‑wide company form called EU Inc..
It is meant to replace the many different national company rules that make it hard for businesses, especially startups and scale‑ups, to set up, grow, and cross‑border operate in the EU.
Key goals
- Make it easier and cheaper to start a company in any EU country.
- Give companies a clear, harmonised legal identity that is recognised everywhere in the EU.
- Reduce paperwork and costs for investors, employees, and regulators.
- Strengthen the EU’s competitiveness and job creation.
How it works
| Feature | What it means |
|---|---|
| Fast‑track registration | A company can be registered online in any member state in 48 hours for a maximum of €100 (or equivalent). |
| EU central interface | A single digital portal (built on the existing Business Registers Interconnection System – BRIS) that lets founders submit all required documents once. |
| Once‑only principle | Information filed with the business register is automatically shared with tax, VAT, social‑security, and beneficial‑ownership authorities, so the company never has to submit the same data again. |
| Digital‑only procedures | All steps – from filing articles of association to paying fees – can be done online. Physical presence is only needed in exceptional cases. |
| No minimum capital | A company can be created with €0 capital; only the value of shares issued matters. |
| Flexible share structure | Shares can have no nominal value, can be issued for cash or in‑kind, and can be freely transferred online. |
| Employee stock‑option plan (EU‑ESO) | A standardised, EU‑wide scheme that lets companies give warrants to employees and board members. Income from warrants is taxed only when the shares are sold. |
| Simplified liquidation and insolvency | Solvent companies can be wound up in a fast‑track procedure (about 3 months) if they have no debts or assets. Innovative startups that become insolvent can enter a simplified winding‑up process that is digital, quick, and cost‑effective. |
| Cross‑border branches | A company can open a branch in another member state through the same online portal, with automatic data exchange. |
| Digital share register | Shares are held in a secure, machine‑readable register that issues digital certificates. |
| EU Company Certificate & digital power of attorney | Standardised, multilingual documents that can be used in any EU country without extra legalisation. |
Benefits
- Lower costs – The proposal estimates €328 million–€440 million saved for about 308 000 EU Inc. companies over 10 years.
- Faster set‑up – 48 hours and €100 for registration.
- More investment – Digital procedures cut the cost of a €500 000 share transfer to €1 100–€2 850.
- Better employee incentives – EU‑ESO offers a simple, tax‑friendly way to give employees shares.
- Greater transparency – All company data is publicly available in the business register and through BRIS, in multiple languages.
- Improved cross‑border trade – Once‑only data exchange and a single legal identity remove many of the administrative barriers that currently slow down expansion.
Implementation
- The regulation will be directly applicable in all member states.
- It will enter into force 12 months after publication (expected 2027).
- The Commission will monitor uptake and, every five years, evaluate the impact on the single market and on investment.
Overall impact
The EU Inc. framework is designed to give the EU a unified, digital, low‑cost company form that supports growth, attracts investment, and strengthens the single market for all businesses, especially high‑growth startups and scale‑ups.
Licensing: The summaries on this page are available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
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