Brussels, Belgium, 25 September, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European trade union activists demonstrated in Brussels on 24 September against the European Union’s proposed EU Inc corporate regime, warning that the planned framework could create risks for labour protections and make social dumping easier. The EU Inc protest took place around the Schuman district as EU ministers discussed the proposed company-law framework.
Trade Unionists Demonstrate in Brussels
The European Trade Union Confederation organised the demonstration near the European Commission and Council buildings, with Belgian trade unions among those supporting the action.
EU Inc was proposed by the European Commission on 18 March 2026 as an optional EU-wide corporate structure intended to make it easier for companies to establish themselves and expand across the single market.
Under the proposal, companies could be incorporated digitally within 48 hours at a maximum cost of €100. The framework would have no minimum share-capital requirement and would introduce common rules covering areas including company registration, financing and share transfers.
The Commission says the initiative responds to fragmentation caused by companies having to navigate 27 national legal systems and more than 60 company forms.
Unions Raise Social Dumping Concerns
Trade unions argue that allowing companies to choose where they incorporate could create opportunities to take advantage of differences between national systems.
Lionel Quebella of Belgian trade union FGTB, who participated in the demonstration, said:
“Our view is that doing this will make social dumping practices even easier.”
Unions have raised concerns about collective bargaining, worker consultation, employee representation and companies registering in one member state while conducting most of their operations or employing much of their workforce elsewhere.
These concerns became a central message of the EU Inc protest as union representatives called for stronger protections within the legislation itself.
ETUC Seeks Binding Worker Protections
European Trade Union Confederation General Secretary Esther Lynch has called for stronger safeguards as negotiations progress.
Commenting on the response from EU institutions, Lynch said:
“But I see nothing from the Commission.”
The ETUC has warned that labour safeguards should not be weakened during negotiations between the European Parliament, Council and Commission.
The European Commission maintains that EU Inc would not replace national employment or social legislation. It says existing protections in member states would continue to apply and that the proposal includes measures designed to prevent abuse.
EU Inc Seeks Easier Cross-Border Expansion
The proposed regime forms part of the EU’s wider effort to improve conditions for businesses operating across borders.
Supporters of the initiative argue that a common corporate structure could reduce administrative costs and make it easier for European start-ups and growing companies to attract investment and expand into other EU markets.
The dispute is therefore focused on how those business objectives can be implemented without undermining national labour protections or worker participation rights.
EU Institutions Continue Legislative Work
The EU Inc proposal is progressing through the European Union’s legislative process, with the European Parliament and Council developing their positions on the Commission’s proposal.
The Commission has called for Parliament and the Council to reach agreement by the end of 2026.
Trade unions are expected to continue pressing policymakers for stronger labour safeguards as negotiations advance. The issues highlighted by the EU Inc protest will remain part of the debate over the final rules governing the proposed European corporate regime.
