EU Inc (the 28th regime) · 2026/0074(COD)
Supports creating a new EU company form with digital setup and flexible capital and shares rules but wants it open to all companies, minimal capital, and harmonised stock option taxation timing.
Make the 28th regime open to all companies that choose it, not limited to only innovative firms, to avoid regulatory uncertainty and growth disincentives.
“It is essential that the 28th regime is not limited only to “innovative” companies... Restricting the regime to “innovative” firms would create several problems... The 28th regime should therefore be open to all companies that choose it, just as Delaware incorporation is open to all firms in the US.”
Index Ventures response to calls for evidence on the 28th regime and European Innovation Act.pdf, page 4
Ensure the company form is fully digital by default, allowing incorporation within 24–48 hours, with an online dashboard and EU Company Certificate recognised across Member States.
“Be fully digital by default: incorporation within 24–48 hours, online dashboard for filings, EU Company Certificate recognised across Member States.”
Index Ventures response to calls for evidence on the 28th regime and European Innovation Act.pdf, page 4
Require minimal or symbolic capital (e.g. €1) to avoid barriers for startups and solo founders.
“Require minimal or symbolic capital (e.g. €1).”
Index Ventures response to calls for evidence on the 28th regime and European Innovation Act.pdf, page 4
Harmonise employee stock option taxation timing so employees pay tax only at sale, allow flexible share classes including non-voting shares, and ensure portability of ESOP benefits across Member States.
Create the new EU company form through regulation (not directive) to ensure uniform rules across the Single Market and avoid fragmentation.
“Create a new EU company form (“EU-INC”) through regulation, not directive, ensuring uniform rules across the Single Market.”
Index Ventures response to calls for evidence on the 28th regime and European Innovation Act.pdf, page 11
Harmonise the timing and methodology of ESOP taxation across Member States while respecting national tax rates, to remove barriers to attracting and retaining talent.
“The EU-ESOP is fundamentally not about harmonising tax rates, only the timing and methodology. This will ensure its workability by respecting Member State sovereignty while removing the most damaging barriers to attracting and retaining talent.”
Index Ventures response to calls for evidence on the 28th regime and European Innovation Act.pdf, page 8
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