Where the law stands, Dossier 2025/2079(INL)
The 28th Regime: a new legal framework for innovative companies
Legislative initiative · First reading
Parliament asks the Commission to propose a law and says what it should contain.
Where it stands
Parliament’s position
Parliament adopted the text on 20 January 2026. This is its final position on the matter.
- Referred to committee(done) 8 May 2025
- Committee work(done) Report adopted 11 December 2025
- Tabled for plenary(done) 17 December 2025
- Plenary vote(done) Adopted 20 January 2026
- Parliament’s position(done) Final
Decided in plenary
20 January 2026 · decision 6
Economy & single market, Resolution
The 28th Regime: a new legal framework for innovative companies
Adopted 492 for · 144 against · 28 abstained by a large majority
AI summary:The framework would create a voluntary corporate form, the Societas Europaea Unificata, alongside national laws, to help SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups operate across the internal market.
What changed
Latest Tabled for plenary → Adopted by Parliament
AI summary:The versions differ only in formal points and wording: terminology is aligned, references updated, and punctuation corrected. Two changes affect substance: the condition for employee participation rules and the fallback trigger are rephrased, altering the circumstances under which they apply.
Committee draft → Tabled for plenary
AI summary:Renames the corporate form from ESSU to S.EU and changes the legal approach from a directive to a regulation or maximum harmonisation directive, rejecting Article 352 TFEU and enhanced cooperation. Strengthens safeguards for workers, employee participation, and anti-circumvention, adding detailed rules on participation and excluding companies with infringements. Expands digitalisation and registration provisions, including a digital portal, 48-hour registration, and integration with the European business wallet. Adds extensive new sections on attracting talent, employee financial participation, partnerships with universities, and impact assessment and review. The other changes are formal or wording: updated names, renumbering, and rephrasing without altering substance.
Who works on it
- Lead committee
- Legal Affairs
- The MEP who drafts the report and negotiates it on behalf of the committee.
- René Repasi (S&D)
- An MEP who follows a report on behalf of their own group when another group holds the rapporteur.
- Axel Voss (EPP), Pascale Piera (Patriots), Mario Mantovani (ECR), Pascal Canfin (Renew), Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Greens), Arash Saeidi (The Left)
The text, version by version
Newest first.
Adopted by Parliament· 20 Jan 2026
AI summary:Parliament asks the Commission to propose a directive creating a 28th legal regime for innovative companies, named 'Societas Europaea Unificata' (S.EU), with uniform rules across the EU.
Tabled for plenary· 17 Dec 2025
AI summary:Parliament's resolution requests a Commission proposal for a directive creating a 'Societas Europaea Unificata' (S.EU) corporate form, a 28th regime for innovative companies, based on Articles 50 and 114 TFEU.
Committee draft· 30 Jun 2025
AI summary:This draft report proposes a new EU legal framework, the '28th Regime', for innovative companies, to be called the 'European Start-Up and Scale-Up' (ESSU) company.
Timeline
Newest first.
Plenary stage 4 steps
20 January 2026
Plenary vote
Sitting of 20 Jan 2026 Report A10-0269/2025Adopted text TA10-0002/2026
19 January 2026
Debated in plenary
MEPs debated the text in the chamber ahead of the vote.
13 January – 14 January 2026
35 amendments tabled for the plenary vote
Groups propose changes to the tabled text; each is voted on before the final vote.
Amendments 1–10Amendments 11–17Amendments 18–27Amendments 28–29Amendments 30–35
17 December 2025
Report tabled for plenary
This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.
Committee stage 5 steps
11 December 2025
Committee vote: report adopted
JURI (Legal Affairs) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.
3 December 2025
Committee opinion adopted
The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.
10 September 2025
Amendments tabled in committee
Members of JURI (Legal Affairs) proposed changes to the draft.
30 June 2025
Draft report published
The rapporteur’s first text in JURI (Legal Affairs). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.
8 May 2025
Referred to the JURI (Legal Affairs) committee
The lead committee prepares Parliament’s report.
Official record: Legislative Observatory, 2025/2079(INL)