Founded in 48 hours, a company form that is valid and the same for the entire EU: What founders have been demanding for months is manifested at the World Economic Forum
She said it, everyone heard it: “The ultimate goal is to create a new, truly European corporate structure. We call it EU Inc.”
On the highest stage, in front of the world stage, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said what founders and investors in Europe have been saying for years, thereby making the implementation of her big project a little more reality.
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., with 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, the innovative companies, will be able to register a company in any Member State within 48 hours – fully online.
Ursula von der Leyen
President of the EU Commission
Their promise: In the future, company founders should be able to register new companies in the EU online within 48 hours. There should be a pan-European corporate form. Valid and equal in all EU countries. Which would make working across borders so much easier. “We need a single and simple set of rules that applies seamlessly throughout our Union. So that companies can operate much more easily in all member states,” said von der Leyen in Davos. The Commission’s concrete proposal for this is to be presented in March.
Reactions from founders: Yeah!
The European start-up scene is overjoyed: “EU Inc could be a big step for Europe – it’s why I’ve proudly supported its introduction and I’m celebrating today’s news,” wrote the founder of the Swedish unicorn Lovable, Oskar Osika, on Linkedin.
There are also many enthusiastic sounds coming from Germany. Anna Alex, founder (Outfittery, Planetly, Gala Earth) and investor, cheered: “Europe is the PERFECT continent – finally for companies too!” Niklas Hanitsch, founder and CEO of Secjur, wrote that the mention of EU Inc makes him so happy because this innovation will really make a difference.
Persion founder Hanno Renner, a vocal supporter of the EU Inc. initiative for months, published a long and passionate post on the occasion of Von der Leyen’s speech about the importance of European sovereignty and his belief why bullies – be they from Washington or Moscow – must be bravely faced.
Who and what is behind the idea?
“The coolest thing about it?” writes Lithuanian entrepreneur and investor Linus Beliunas. “This didn’t come from a think tank. It started in 2024 as a grassroots petition. Over 13,000 founders and investors signed it. Europe listened.”
And that is summed up correctly: A group of leading European founders and VCs wrote an open letter to EU political decision-makers for the first time in 2024, calling for the creation of a uniform, pan-European legal form. The so-called EU Inc. is intended to make it easier for companies to operate and grow in the 27 EU member states.
Since then, the initiative’s supporters have included Personio frontman Hanno Renner, but also DeepL co-founder Jarek Kutylowski, the CEO of the German Startup Association Verena Pausder and her predecessor and investor Christian Miele. Well-known investors from Seedcamp and Index Ventures also took part. Many also showed their support by proudly wearing EU Inc. merch. A number of pictures of founders with blue EU Inc. caps flooded LinkedIn.
The focus of the proposal was the introduction of an EU Inc. as a legal structure. This should provide uniform rules for companies that apply throughout the EU. “A standardized pan-European EU Inc. corporate structure is essential for European startups,” said the online petition for the initiative. And further: “It’s not about imitating Silicon Valley. It’s about building on our unique European strengths: our diversity, our decentralized talent pool and our unique startup hubs.”
Known barriers for European startups
The results that the initiators expected from the new corporate form were, in particular, faster scaling, more market success and a greater inflow of international capital. The supporters also hoped for progress in creating a uniform framework for employee participation. Although there are corresponding regulations in most EU countries, some of them differ significantly – which often poses problems for companies that operate multiple locations.
Goal: Make European startups more globally competitive
The initiators of the proposal saw the creation of a unified corporate structure as a solution to long-standing problems in the European startup ecosystem. Companies have been complaining about market fragmentation in Europe for years. Startups looking to expand in the EU face the challenge of adapting to 27 different tax, commercial and labor laws.
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Investing across national borders is also complicated due to tax and legal hurdles. These conditions make it difficult for European startups to scale and make them less competitive compared to other regions, such as the USA.
According to the founders and investors, the creation of an EU Inc. should help European startups grow faster, attract more capital and have better chances of sustainable success. By standardizing the legal framework, obstacles caused by different national regulations could be reduced.
Where are we?
As of January 2026, the European Parliament is fundamentally in favor of such an approach. It adopted a number of recommendations by a large majority. One of them envisages creating a new legal form for unlisted limited liability companies. The so-called Single European Company (S.EU) should in future be able to be registered completely digitally within 48 hours, with a minimum share capital of one euro.
For listed companies, the European company (Societas Europaea, SE) already has a legal form that can be used as an alternative to national regulations.
with material from dpa, Alex Hofmann and Kim Torster