Press Release – EU Inc company form unveiled: cooperatives outline priorities

PRESS RELEASE

On 19 March 2026, the European Commission unveiled its proposal for EU Inc, a new optional company form designed to facilitate business’ growth and scalability across Europe through a harmonised set of EU-wide rules. The proposal addresses key areas such as digital registration, attracting talents, access to capital, and legal certainty.

Originally referred to as the 28th regime for innovative companies, the EU Inc offers entrepreneurs the option of opting into the new EU Inc. company form, or the 27 national company legal forms which sit alongside the EU Inc. proposal. Cooperatives registered in any Member State that opt for the EU Inc form could therefore benefit from consistent rules and requirements throughout the EU.

For Giuseppe Guerini, President of Cooperatives Europe,

 “The EU Inc proposal should serve as a tool to enable enterprises, including cooperatives, to expand their activities beyond national border. It should promote greater diversity within the Single Market”

Cooperatives Europe welcomes this initiative, highlighting the persistent challenges cooperative enterprises face in operating, growing, and expanding within the Single Market. Our priority is to ensure that the EU Inc regime is open to all European companies, regardless of the sector, size or the legal form. Our objective is to create a level playing field for cooperative startups wishing to adopt this model, acknowledging the diversity of business models (a principle recognized by the funding treaty of the EU) and compatible with cooperatives’ specific characteristics, regulations and principles.

In particular, we call for the registration process to take into account specific cooperative registers already in place in many Member States. Measures on access to finance should consider cooperatives’ distinct governance structures and certain restrictions on share transfer. We also urge the co-legislators to explore innovative governance mechanisms and diverse ownership structures in businesses, including the cooperative approach, to attract talents.

To achieve a genuine level playing field, it is essential for Member States to act with ambition and to thrive towards maximum level of harmonization. This will prevent fragmented transposition or uneven treatment across Member States. While much remains to be covered and analysed, Cooperatives Europe will work in collaboration with experts and its members to develop detailed recommendations on this proposal in the coming months.

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