When it comes to the EU’s next #MFF, its external action heading, #GlobalEurope, has received far less attention than the others.

Yet at a time when traditional development heavyweights are pulling back, the EU’s role in external action matters more than ever.

So what’s in the COM proposal?

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Weitere treffende Analyse von @etiennehoera.d-64.social zu Handelsbeziehungen EU-USA & was die EU nach dem Zollurteil des Supreme Court nun tun sollte.

These issues (tax, insolvency, etc.) arise once companies start operating across different member states, open branches, employ people in several member states, ...

We know that new FTAs wouldn't add a lot of growth for the EU - a deeper internal market potentially would. Read @cdgeiser.bsky.social on how to make more of one of the Commission's flagship initiatives, a 28th regime for companies 👇

Incubating Integration: Regulatory Pilots within the 28th Regime Few recent EU initiatives have attracted as much enthusiasm from founders and political leaders as the ‘28th regime’ – a single, opt-in European rulebook intended to simplify cross-border entrepreneur...

By using regulatory pilots, the EU can gather empirical evidence and practical experience with new rules, reduce political risk, and create the space for deeper integration in the future.

Read the full proposal here: bst-europe.eu/de/wettbewer...

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Take insolvency: fragmented rules create uncertainty for investors about getting their money back in cross-border investments - this leads to higher risk premia. A pilot could test a single set of rules for a small cohort of firms to see if it lowers financing costs and improves recovery rates.

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Instead of fearing sensitive legal areas, the EU should adopt a "test-and-learn" mindset. I propose a two-tier 28th regime:
1. A robust company law core as the foundation.
2. Time-limited regulatory pilots to test deeper integration in high-impact areas.

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Incorporating under the same rules in Germany, Spain, or Poland is a great step. But let’s be honest: company law alone won't solve the scaling problem.

This year, we might have rare political momentum to deepen the single market. The Commission should use this opportunity strategically.

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To address this, the Commission is set to propose the “28th regime” – a single European rulebook to simplify cross-border entrepreneurship. It will likely focus narrowly on company law for private limited liability companies to avoid member state resistance.

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The scaling gap is real: The EU has only 20% of the scale-ups found in the US and hosts just 110 unicorns vs 687 in the States.

A major culprit is legal fragmentation. Founders still navigate 27 different labor, insolvency, and tax laws – adding massive costs and complexity.

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Incubating Integration: Regulatory Pilots within the 28th Regime Few recent EU initiatives have attracted as much enthusiasm from founders and political leaders as the ‘28th regime’ – a single, opt-in European rulebook intended to simplify cross-border entrepreneur...

The upcoming 28th regime will likely simplify incorporation in Europe, but this alone won’t fix Europe’s scaling gap.

In my new policy brief, I argue the Commission should add regulatory pilots to test rules in high-impact policy areas where reform has stalled: bst-europe.eu/de/wettbewer...

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1/Today at #COMPET, EU ministers debate the European Competitiveness Fund.

As negotiations on the 2028–2034 MFF intensify, we published a new policy brief analysing the proposal and set out 7 recommendations on how to make the ECF work

Authored with @annaheckhausen.bsky.social

Exactly. Momentum is good, but Enhanced Cooperation and “One Market” don’t go together. QMV remains the way forward. Breaking deadlock in single market files requires everyone – leaders to officials – to abandon national regimes and commit to true European harmonisation. Still a way to go.

Europe is chasing the wrong fix for its growth crisis The continent’s old growth model no longer works in today’s world. And EU leaders need a plan that matches the scale of this shift.

When EU leaders meet tomorrow to discuss the EU’s competitiveness agenda, they should stop chasing ghosts and confront the real problem Europe‘s economy is facing.

Our latest for @politico.eu with @nilsredeker.bsky.social and @sandertordoir.bsky.social 👇

How should the EU react to Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland? Get out of self-deterrence, launch the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) and focus on concrete levers instead of the next abstract tools debate. This is an explainer how this could work: 1/ 🧵

Can the EU deepen the single market?

In our article on what to watch in 2026, @cdgeiser.bsky.social focuses on the 28th regime for corporate law, which, she argues, if done right could "signal whether a second single market moment is within reach."

Read more here: bst-europe.eu/europe-in-th...

Our team’s outlook for Europe in 2026 is out 👇

In my piece, I argue that advancing the Single Market in 2026 is key to strengthening Europe’s resilience & that this year’s debate on a 28th company law regime will test whether member states are willing to move from rhetoric to deeper integration.

Cutting Red Tape at all Costs: Why the EU’s Simplification Agenda is Weakening Europe On 22 October, one of the European Commission’s key simplification initiatives – the so-called Sustainability Omnibus – failed to reach a majority in the European Parliament.

Read @etiennehoera.d-64.social’s & my opinion on why the current simplification agenda is weakening the EU: bst-europe.eu/de/wettberwe...

And how the simplification agenda could be improved: bst-europe.eu/competitiven...

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The implications of today’s vote go well beyond this first Omnibus. It further undermines trust in the political center and sets a dangerous precedent for the rest of the mandate – further hampering the EU’s capacity to act when we most need it.
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Let’s be clear: this isn’t good simplification. After a rushed Commission drafting process with limited stakeholder engagement, the Parliament today – instead of improving rules – further watered down standards (especially on scope, climate plans).
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EU conservatives vote with far right to approve cuts to green rules The outcome highlights the EPP’s willingness to abandon its traditional centrist coalition allies.

Today’s Sustainability Omnibus vote in the EP marks a turning point for the EU’s centrist coalition & sets course for the rest of the simplification agenda. The EPP broke with traditional partners, seeking a majority with far-right groups to deliver its vision of how to cut sustainability rules.
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Great thread by @etiennehoera.d-64.social on our new analysis of last week’s failed vote in the European Parliament on the first Omnibus package.
Rather than simplifying, the Omnibus agenda is so far undermining the EU’s capacity to act - just when it needs to face major challenges.
Thread below 👇

Europe’s car industry is in rough waters with sinking demand for European EVs, & the response cannot wait. In a new joint paper @sandertordoir.bsky.social , @nilsredeker.bsky.social & @lucasguttenberg.bsky.social , propose "Buy-European" EV demand support coordinated across the Single Market.

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Cutting Red Tape, Preserving Standards: Rethinking the EU’s Omnibus Agenda The European Commission has made rapid simplification of EU rules key to its competitiveness strategy. It has put forward six Omnibus packages designed to revise multiple legal acts at once.

The EU’s Omnibus packages promise simpler rules, but simplification isn’t deregulation. To cut red tape without eroding standards, the Commission must be clearer on its goals, base reforms on evidence, & build political consensus, argues @cdgeiser.bsky.social here⬇️

bst-europe.eu/competitiven...

Cutting Red Tape, Preserving Standards: Rethinking the EU’s Omnibus Agenda The European Commission has made rapid simplification of EU rules key to its competitiveness strategy. It has put forward six Omnibus packages designed to revise multiple legal acts at once.

Simplification is here to stay – and for good reason. Done well, it can reduce costs, safeguard standards and strengthen competitiveness.

Read the full brief here: bst-europe.eu/de/wettberwe...

To make simplification work, I propose four guiding principles:
1️⃣ Clarity on goals: simplification - not deregulation in disguise
2️⃣ Evidence-based selection: focus on costly, low-benefit rules
3️⃣ Sound design: apply Better Regulation tools
4️⃣ Political consensus: align early with Council & EP

Only a few proposals have been adopted, while others are stuck in lengthy negotiations.

Some proposals weaken standards – missing the very purpose of simplification: cutting costs while preserving Europe’s high standards.

Simplifying EU rules sounds like a win: rules should be clear, consistent & workable - especially for companies. The Commission has rightly recognized this. But six months after the first Omnibus package was presented, the promise of rapid & effective relief has yet to deliver.

Cutting Red Tape, Preserving Standards: Rethinking the EU’s Omnibus Agenda The European Commission has made rapid simplification of EU rules key to its competitiveness strategy. It has put forward six Omnibus packages designed to revise multiple legal acts at once.

This week, negotiations on the first Omnibus simplification package stalled in the European Parliament - highlighting the difficulties in the Commission’s current agenda.

In a new Policy Brief, I argue the Commission’s approach needs recalibration: bst-europe.eu/de/wettberwe...