European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen says today at Davos that a unified company structure could make Europe the easiest place in the world to start, fund, and grow a tech company.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the EU will create “a new truly European company structure,” which she named “EU Inc.”
The announcement represents a major milestone for EU–INC, a policy movement backed by over 22,000 signatories including Europe’s leading founders, investors, and the broader startup community.
Since October 2024, EU–INC has led a policy campaign for the creation of a pan-European legal entity. In February 2025, the movement delivered comprehensive legal proposals to the Commission and has worked closely with EU institutions and Member State governments to advance this vision.
A statement from EU-Inc today shared:
“We look forward to continuing to work alongside the Commission and Member State governments to ensure the new legal entity delivers the maximum impact for startups and for Europe.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to turn Europe into the best place to start and scale startups.”
What is EU Inc?
EU Inc is aimed at establishing a single, optional EU-wide legal entity for startups — referred to as the “28th regime” — that sits alongside, not replaces, national company structures. It would include:
- A unified legal entity under EU law: simplify cross-border incorporation and operations.
- Central EU registry: one-stop, fully digital onboarding in English.
- Standardised investment documentation: harmonised legal templates to ease pan-European funding.
- Europe-wide stock option framework: enabling consistent equity for employees across borders.
Check out our comprehensive EU-Inc coverage.
As detailed in von der Leyen’s speech:
“We will soon put forward our 28th regime. The ultimate aim is to create a new truly European company structure. We call it EU Inc.
We need a single and simple set of rules that will apply seamlessly all over our Union. So that business can operate across Member States much more easily.
Our entrepreneurs will be able to register a company in any Member State within 48 hours – fully online. They will enjoy the same capital regime all across the EU.
Ultimately, we need a system where companies can do business and raise financing seamlessly across Europe – just as easily as in uniform markets like the US or China.
If we get this right – and if we move fast enough – this will not only help EU companies grow. But it will attract investment from across the world.”
According to Tom Henriksson, General Partner at VC OpenOcean:,
“It’s hard not to be excited. The plan for a fully digital, pan-European company form that can be easily created within two days will, if implemented correctly, at long last put startups on equal footing with overseas competitors. It’s hard to overstate the gravity of this.
At present, acquiring companies in other member states or attempting to take your business across borders drops founders in the centre of an interminable maze of regulations. In-person meetings with notaries poring over every signature are woefully outdated, especially when inflicted on digital-first companies.”
The possibility that the 28th regime could, with a stroke of a pen, cut admin time from months for each country to just 48-hours across every member state will have founders punching the air.
He cautions that “it’s not a done deal, of course. We’ve yet to see how the rules are formulated, and the eternal problem with these regimes is that member-states are under no obligation to opt-in.
“The result may be just another layer of bureaucracy, and founders potentially shouldering compliance costs in the countries that do adopt it, without feeling the benefits.
Only time will tell whether adoption is widespread enough to avoid this fate, but there are new reasons to be cautiously optimistic about the future of European innovation today.”