Thirteen European Union member states have joined forces to demand a fundamental rethink of how the bloc crafts its laws, urging Brussels to put competitiveness at the heart of every new proposal and to conduct a sweeping review of existing rules. The initiative, spearheaded by Austria, seeks to transform the EU's regulatory culture from one of accumulation to one of restraint.
The coalition — comprising Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, and Slovakia — has circulated a non-paper that calls for what it describes as "an exercise in legislative deep-cleaning." The document, obtained by Euronews, argues that EU legislation should not be an end in itself and that regulatory restraint is a precondition for sound law-making.
"EU legislation cannot be an end in itself. Therefore, regulatory restraint to avoid over-regulation and the introduction of new administrative burdens is a condition for sound EU law-making," the paper states.
The push comes as the European Commission, under President Ursula von der Leyen, has already made regulatory simplification a central pillar of its agenda. The Commission has proposed a series of "omnibus" packages aimed at streamlining rules on artificial intelligence, climate reporting, and other areas. But the 13 signatories want to go further, demanding that every new law be systematically tested for its impact on economic competitiveness and that EU action be taken only where national measures are insufficient, in line with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality.
A year for consolidation
The non-paper proposes the creation of a "European Implementation and Consolidation Year," during which the focus would shift from new legislation to implementing existing rules, simplifying procedures, and reducing duplicative reporting obligations. The goal, as the signatories put it, is better regulation: laws that are proportionate, coherent, legally predictable, and supportive of a business environment where European companies can invest, innovate, and grow.
"Every major new reporting or compliance obligation should be preceded by a review of existing obligations in the same policy field with a view to consolidation, simplification or repeal," the document continues.
The initiative is expected to be formalised on Monday with the launch of a new Alliance for the Reduction of the Bureaucratic Burden, a permanent network of EU countries committed to regulatory simplification at both national and European levels. This alliance would institutionalise the push for deregulation, giving it a lasting voice in Brussels.
The signatories insist that their goal is not to weaken protections for health, safety, or labour, but to prioritise high-quality, enforceable, and predictable legislation over "regulatory density." They argue that the current patchwork of rules often imposes cumulative burdens that hinder innovation and competitiveness without delivering clear benefits.
Under the proposed framework, new regulations would be judged on whether they are implementable, predictable, coherent with other laws, evidence-based, robust, and respectful of the division of competences between the EU and its member states. They would also require a mandatory review clause at least every five years to assess whether they have met their objectives.
The move reflects a growing sentiment among member states that the EU's regulatory machinery has become too complex and that simplification is essential for the bloc's economic vitality. As the debate over bureaucratic burden intensifies, the alliance's proposals could shape the EU's legislative agenda for years to come.
