EU Inc. Glossary

Key terms in the EU Inc. legislative process, defined in plain English.

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28th Regime

The concept of an optional EU-level company form sitting alongside the 27 national company law systems rather than replacing them. EU Inc. is the legislative realisation of this concept.

B

BRIS

Business Registers Interconnection System. The EU's cross-border business registry infrastructure. EU Inc. registration will be delivered through a BRIS-based central digital interface.

C

COM(2026) 321 final

The official document designation of the European Commission's EU Inc. legislative proposal, published 18 March 2026.

D

Dual-class shares

Share classes with differentiated voting rights. Used by founders to retain control after external investment. Explicitly permitted under the EU Inc. proposal.

E

EU Inc.

The name of the proposed pan-European company form as designated in the Commission's legislative proposal (COM(2026) 321 final). Companies incorporated under the Regulation must include "EU Inc." in their name.

EU-ESO

EU Employee Share Ownership. The harmonised employee equity scheme introduced in the EU Inc. proposal. Key feature: deferred taxation — employees are taxed on their options at exit or sale, not at grant or vesting.

EU-FAST

Founders' Agreement Standard Terms. A private open-source set of investment documentation templates developed by the eu-inc.org campaign to accompany EU Inc. Not part of the Commission's legislative proposal.

EUID

European Unique Identifier. A standardised identifier assigned to each company registered in an EU member state's business register.

R

Regulation

A type of EU legislative instrument that is directly applicable in all member states without requiring national implementation or transposition. EU Inc. is a Regulation, not a Directive.

S

S.EU / Societas Europaea Unificata

The name proposed by the European Parliament's Repasi report for a new pan-European company form. The Commission chose "EU Inc." as the designation instead.

SAFEs

Simple Agreements for Future Equity. Investment instruments originating in US startup practice. Explicitly permitted under the EU Inc. proposal.

SE / Societas Europaea

The existing pan-European company form, available since 2004. Requires €120,000 in minimum capital. Designed primarily for large corporations. Used by fewer than 3,000 companies EU-wide.

T

Trilogue

The informal negotiation process between the European Commission, Parliament, and Council that produces the final text of EU legislation. Trilogue for EU Inc. is expected in 2027.