The European Parliament has backed plans for an EU-wide set of company rules — known as the “28th regime” — including a proposed new corporate form that could be registered online within 48 hours.
The Parliament adopted the recommendations on Tuesday by 492 votes in favour, 144 against and 28 abstentions, the parliamentary press service informed.
The recommendations are intended to feed into a European Commission proposal for a new legal framework to support companies in the EU that is expected in the coming months.
Under the anticipated framework, EU countries would be able to create a new corporate form or incorporate EU-wide rules into an existing one.
The MEPs called for a single harmonised set of rules — the “28th regime” — to apply across the bloc.
The proposed corporate form, the Unified European Company (S.EU), would apply to non-listed limited liability companies based in one of the EU’s 27 member states, the statement said.
Registration should be fully digital and completed within 48 hours, with a minimum paid-in capital of one euro.
The MEPs also called for a Commission-operated digital multilingual portal, accessible across all member states, to support digital communication with authorities and provide digital information for investors.
Investment, talent and disputes
The MEPs said they want to make it easier for S.EUs to access investment, including through alternative financing models, while allowing optional protection schemes such as separating voting rights from economic rights, or limiting profit distribution arrangements by time or amount.
They also proposed rules aimed at attracting and retaining staff, including employee share-ownership plans and stock options.
The Parliament declared S.EUs should be able to commercialise fundamental research and called for improved co-operation between SMEs, start-ups, scale-ups and research institutions, according to the statement. It also called for specialised, accelerated dispute-resolution mechanisms that could be conducted in English.
After the vote, the rapporteur René Repasi said the Parliament’s vision would allow companies to set up “within 48 hours, fully digitally and across borders”, and included “robust social standards."
The Parliament expects the Commission’s legislative proposal in the first quarter of 2026.
