EU Council adopts negotiating position on "EU Inc.": online registration in 48 hours for up to €100
Council adopted a negotiating position on 23 October 2026 for a voluntary pan‑EU corporate form allowing fast, low‑cost online company registration.
On 23 October 2026 the Council of the European Union adopted its negotiating position for a new EU legal framework dubbed "EU Inc.", a proposal that would allow companies to register fully online within 48 hours and with fees capped at €100.
What the proposal changes
The initiative is aimed at startups, innovative businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises that want to scale operations across the single market. The proposed regime would operate as an optional, pan‑EU corporate form running alongside national company laws in the 27 member states, simplifying company formation, governance and cross‑border expansion for firms that choose it.
Key measures in the Council text include easier issuance of shares, streamlined procedures to attract investors and clearer rules to reward employees with ownership stakes. The Council also included additional verification and oversight mechanisms intended to strengthen safeguards against money‑laundering and other financial abuse.
However, the negotiating position removes some of the Commission's more far‑reaching proposals: provisions for a single European register of companies and a simplified insolvency process for startups were left out, raising questions about how much the new regime will reduce the real costs of doing business across the Union.
The Council's decision now opens formal talks with the European Parliament to agree a final text. Member states have been given 21 months to put the regulation into practice, should the Parliament and Council reach an agreement.
For the broader EU economy the measure is presented as an attempt to boost entrepreneurship and investment in the face of increased global competition. Companies outside the Union, including those in North Macedonia that work with EU partners, could still benefit indirectly if cross‑border procedures are simplified, even though the new corporate form would apply only to entities registered in EU member states.
Photo: press material from the event
