Changes from plenary report to adopted text

– having regard to the Commission communication of 21 October 2025 entitled ‘Commission work programme 2026 – Europe’s Independence Moment’ (COM(2025)0870),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 19 March 2025 entitled ‘Savings and Investments Union – A Strategy to Foster Citizens’ Wealth and Economic Competitiveness in the EU’ (COM(2025)0124),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 29 January 2025 entitled ‘A Competitiveness Compass for the EU’(COM(2025)0030),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 28 May 2025 entitled ‘The EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy – Choose Europe to start and scale’ (COM(2025)0270),

– having regard to the report of 9 September 2024 by Mario Draghi entitled ‘The future of European competitiveness’ (Draghi report),

– having regard to the report of 17 April 2024 by Enrico Letta entitled ‘Much more than a market’,

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 12 September 2023 for a Council Directive on Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT) (COM(2023)0532),

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 25 October 2016 for a Council Directive on a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) (COM(2016)0683),

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 25 October 2016 for a Council Directive on a Common Corporate Tax Base (COM(2016)0685),

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 11 May 2022 for a Council Directive on laying down rules on a debt-equity bias reduction allowance and on limiting the deductibility of interest for corporate income tax purposes (COM(2022)0216),

– having regard to the Commission recommendation of 18 March 2026 on the definition of innovative enterprises, innovative startups and innovative scaleups,

– having regard to Flash Eurobarometer 559 from February to April 2025 on Startups, scaleups and entrepreneurship,

– having regard to the European Council conclusions of 19 March 2026,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A10-0167/2026),

L. whereas the tax dimension of the 28th regime should respect the competence framework provided for by the Treaties and be designed to support the full life cycle of companies; whereas the Draghi report shows that the EU lacks venture capital investment at each development stage of start-ups (seed, early stage and late stage) as a result of a lack of scaling possibilities;

M. whereas the potential benefits of an optional pan-European business regime, vastly simplifying the whole process of future expansion to new markets, both within and outside of the EU, lie in enhanced legal certainty, lower compliance costs and simplified regulatory and tax procedures, and a level playing field with competing jurisdictions outside the EU; whereas it is necessary to ensure clarity and legal certainty for European and foreign investors by providing simpler and better harmonised rules, including in the area of taxation, that enable them to invest cross-border with confidence;

N. whereas to address these policies and political goals, the EU and its Member States must act using a coordinated, ambitious and results-oriented approach;

O. whereas completing the Savings and Investments Union is essential to mobilise private capital in the EU and channel it efficiently into the economy, in particular towards SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups; whereas a deeper, more integrated and more accessible capital market would improve access to finance and encourage long-term investment; whereas further integration of European financial markets is key to strengthening the EU’s competitiveness, preventing the flight of companies to other jurisdictions and ensuring that European savings finance growth and innovation within the single market;

P. whereas the additional modules, stemming from the 28th regime, may play a role in supporting the cross-border development of long-term savings and pension products; whereas, in the context of taxation, such regimes should interact coherently with national tax frameworks;

General principles

1. Welcomes the Commission’s legislative proposal on a 28th regime (‘EU Inc.’) for companies; recognises its potential systemic impact on the functioning of the single market and the overall competitiveness of the EU’s economy; underlines, however, that the proposal on the 28th regime must not constitute a replacement for any further legislative efforts to reduce fragmentation and disparities between the regulatory frameworks of Member States;

2. Highlights its adoption of a resolution with recommendations to the Commission on the 28th regime: a new legal framework for innovative companies;

3. Welcomes the adoption of the ‘One Europe, One Market’ agenda to unlock the potential of the single market; takes note of the European Council’s call for the adoption of a 28th regime for company law; notes the European Council’s lack of references to targeted tax policy harmonisation under this agenda, particularly given that SMEs selected tax and VAT fragmentation as the most prevalent barrier to scaling up;

4. Stresses the fact that taxation is in most cases an exclusive competence of the Member States, yet there is – particularly in terms of procedures – a space for further simplification or targeted harmonisation tackling different compliance regimes, complex and fragmented corporate tax treatment, reporting obligations and administrative barriers in the treatment of cross-border investment; highlights the positive contribution of previous EU legislative initiatives on taxation, particularly in tackling tax evasion, avoidance and fraud, which are complementary to national legal frameworks;

5. Calls for the 28th regime initiative to be ambitious in its substance, including on taxation aspects, all the while fully respecting the Treaties, in order to allow SMEs, small mid-caps and innovative companies to scale up and operate seamlessly without transnational barriers across the EU’s single market;

6. Underlines that the 28th regime must not, under any circumstances, enable the circumvention of mandatory domestic protection of workers, their social rights, representatives and trade unions, nor become a vehicle to undermine, reduce or weaken existing levels of protection at EU or national level; highlights that the 28th regime should support innovation, transparency of company policies and the dimensional growth and scalability of companies by encouraging the removal of legal and tax obstacles that limit cross-border development and expansion as well as tax fairness, while effectively preventing tax, social and regulatory disparities;

7. Stresses that the benefits of digitalisation and the simplification of compliance requirements that will be introduced under the tax module of the 28th regime (hereinafter the ‘tax module’) should be made available to all companies under ‘EU Inc.’;

8. Considers that the 28th regime is a strategic step towards the further deepening of the single market, thereby advancing European integration and improving the functioning of the single market and its competitiveness;

9. Stresses that the 28th regime should be established through a modular approach; understands that the proposed regulation establishing a corporate legal framework (‘EU Inc.’) is a first step onto which other modules can be added, including on taxation (tax module); considers that these future modules should cover relevant aspects of the entire life cycle of companies, and be continuously evaluated against international benchmarks;

10. Considers that the tax module could be added to the legislative proposal for a regulation establishing a corporate legal framework (‘EU Inc.’), which should extend into the field of taxation, in a targeted, ambitious and proportionate manner; considers that the potential benefits of the tax module include lower compliance costs, simplified regulatory procedures, enhanced legal certainty, predictability and smoother access to cross-border markets, thereby improving and deepening the European single market;

11. Notes that for a tax module to be attainable under the existing Treaty framework, and where the applicable legislative procedure does not yield results, either an opt-in structure of the relevant legislation, or enhanced cooperation as a last resort, should be considered in order to address tax policy shortcomings; notes that tax policy remains subject to unanimity in the Council of the EU; is of the opinion that transitioning to the use of qualified majority voting is necessary in certain aspects of tax policy such as in the implementation of international agreements signed by all Member States, certain administrative procedures or legal definitions, in order to prevent unanimity from limiting regulatory harmonisation- and stopping citizens and businesses from fully benefiting from the single market; notes that such a module should be designed as an optional, clear and legally secure system, open to the accession of other Member States at any time, avoiding further fragmentation and ensuring the coherence of the single market;

12. Insists that the 28th regime must effectively reduce compliance complexity for participating companies and must not create a parallel rulebook layered on top of national legal systems leading to increases in legal distortions, overlaps or inconsistencies, or additional administrative burden; recalls that the primary goal of the new regime is simplification and competitiveness, and that these must be ensured at all times while striving for upward social convergence;

13. Emphasises that the objective of both the 28th regime and its tax module is not to create an unfair tax advantage for companies or their employees, but to substantially reduce the complexity and administrative burden arising from different obligations, while respecting the specific characteristics of such companies;