EU Inc (the 28th regime) · 2026/0074(COD)
Supports the 28th regime as a tool to enhance competitiveness and innovation but wants it adapted to cooperatives and social economy enterprises with specific changes on scope, shares, workers, seat, and insolvency provisions.
Expand the definition of innovative enterprises to include innovative business models and governance structures, particularly cooperatives, to acknowledge and support their impact.
“We call on the Commission to expand the definition in the Recommendation and incorporate innovative business models and governances, particularly the cooperative model, in order to acknowledge and support their impact.”
CECOP feedback to the European Commission on EU Inc.pdf, page 3
Recognise cooperatives as eligible to use the 28th regime on equal footing with other business models, respecting their intrinsic characteristics.
“It is imperative that the Commission takes into account the diversity of business models across the EU and allows cooperatives – together with their innovative governance structure and the values and principles they are built upon – to access the 28th regime on equal footing with other business models, without prejudice towards the characteristics intrinsic to the cooperative model.”
28th regime Call for evidence_CECOP.pdf, page 1
Provide access to diversified financial support options beyond venture capital, such as equity investment or social impact investment, adapted to the cooperative model.
“Enterprises established under the 28th regime should have access to other financing options, e.g., equity investment or social impact investment which takes into account the cooperative business model.”
28th regime Call for evidence_CECOP.pdf, page 3
Ensure that worker ownership and participation schemes grant workers appropriate and effective voting and governance rights, and are treated equally to employee stock option schemes under the EU-ESO.
“Where an EU Inc. implements worker ownership and participation schemes, it shall ensure that workers holding shares or participation rights are granted appropriate and effective voting and governance rights. Such schemes shall not be treated less favorably than employee stock option schemes under the EU-ESO.”
CECOP feedback to the European Commission on EU Inc.pdf, page 9
Guarantee that workers involved in ownership structures have effective voting and governance rights to strengthen democratic participation within companies.
“This amendment aims to ensure that worker ownership and participation schemes are recognised on an equal footing with employee stock option schemes under the EU-ESO. It seeks to guarantee that workers involved in ownership structures are granted appropriate and effective voting and governance rights, thereby supporting diverse business models and strengthening democratic participation within companies.”
CECOP feedback to the European Commission on EU Inc.pdf, page 9
Ensure the 28th regime promotes upwards convergence and does not weaken workers’ rights and protection.
“The 28th regime must work towards upwards convergence and ensure that it does not weaken workers’ rights and protection.”
28th regime Call for evidence_CECOP.pdf, page 3
Promote business transfers to employees under the cooperative form (Workers Buyouts) to prevent killer acquisitions or relocation of European innovation.
“To prevent killer acquisitions or the relocation of European innovation, Member States should promote business transfers to the employees under the cooperative form, also known as Workers Buyouts (WBOs).”
Feedback, 2025-09-30
Require EU Inc. companies to maintain an effective and transparent presence in the Member State where they carry out their principal economic activities, including through branches or operational presence.
“Where an EU Inc. carries out its principal economic activities in a Member State other than that of its registered office, it shall ensure an effective and transparent presence in that Member State, including, where appropriate, through the establishment of a branch or other form of operational or administrative presence.”
CECOP feedback to the European Commission on EU Inc.pdf, page 8
Expand the definition of 'innovation' to include innovative business models and governance structures like cooperatives that address socioeconomic challenges.
“Therefore, when defining ‘innovative’, the definition should include also innovative business models and governance structures, such as cooperatives, that are reacting to emerging socioeconomic changes and societal challenges in providing resilient, sustainable, democratically owned and long-term oriented, often community-driven, solutions.”
28th regime Call for evidence_CECOP.pdf, page 3
Introduce employee pre-emption rights prior to solvent liquidation to allow employees to acquire the company or its assets to continue the activity, with fair and transparent conditions and access to competent authorities in case of disputes.
“Where the economic activity of the EU Inc. company, or a viable part thereof, may be continued, the employees shall have a pre-emption right to acquire the company, its shares, its business, a branch, a business unit or the assets necessary to continue the activity.”
CECOP feedback to the European Commission on EU Inc.pdf, page 3
Open source underneath
WhoShapedIt is a thin layer on open-source packages. Star them, fork them, build your own micro.
Open-source context and state for AI: it keeps only what matters for the question.
In WhoShapedIt: Reads every lobby submission and position paper and each official text, cut into passages, and judges each passage against nine questions (who can use EU Inc, workers on the board, tax…), so every ask and every step is read on the passages that address it.
Open-source Svelte components for clean, accessible interfaces.
In WhoShapedIt: The status, the timeline, the theme picker, the camps of lobbies and the organisation pages.
Also built with SvelteKit · Vercel AI SDK · Zod