News

The European Commission has launched the Digital Product Passport Registry, a tool provided for under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation.

The Digital Product Passport will contain information on the product’s origin, regulatory compliance, instructions for use and reuse options. The data will generally be accessible through a QR code or a similar digital medium, with the aim of increasing supply chain transparency and enabling consumers to make more informed choices.

The new registry will serve as a secure central infrastructure for managing metadata related to digital service providers. Product-specific information will remain stored by economic operators or Digital Product Passport service providers.

The system will gradually cover several sectors, including textiles, steel, aluminium, tyres, furniture, ICT products, energy-related products, construction products, toys and detergents. The first Digital Product Passports will become mandatory for certain categories of batteries from 18 February 2027.

The Commission has also launched a helpdesk and a testing environment to support businesses and stakeholders in preparing for the new system.

The European Commission has fined Google a total of €890 million for breaching the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the EU regulation imposing specific obligations on large digital platforms designated as gatekeepers.

The first fine, amounting to €460 million, concerns the preferential treatment given to Google’s own services in search results, including shopping, hotels, transport and sports, to the detriment of competing services. The second fine, amounting to €430 million, concerns restrictions imposed on app developers distributing their applications through Google Play, limiting their ability to inform users about alternative offers available outside the store.

The Commission also ordered Google to end the infringements by ensuring fair conditions for third-party services and greater freedom for developers to promote alternative offers. Google must comply within 60 days. Failure to do so could result in periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of its total worldwide turnover.

The European Commission has presented a new Electrification Action Plan aimed at accelerating the shift from fossil fuels to electricity across industry, transport and buildings.

The objective is to increase the share of electricity in EU energy consumption from the current 23% to 46% by 2040. According to the Commission, achieving this target could reduce fossil fuel imports by around €260 billion per year, while strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, energy security and decarbonisation.

The plan includes measures to narrow the price gap between electricity and fossil fuels, speed up the deployment of smart meters and reduce the upfront costs of technologies such as heat pumps, electric vehicles and batteries. It also provides for action to accelerate the development of European electricity grids, support innovative electrification solutions and invest in skills and employment.

At the same time, the Commission announced a review of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to adapt it to the evolving geopolitical and economic context.

The European Commission has launched the Forced Labour Single Portal, the new digital platform supporting the implementation of the EU Forced Labour Regulation, which will become applicable from 14 December 2027. The portal serves as the main preparedness tool for businesses, competent authorities and civil society organisations, bringing together guidance, practical resources and supporting documentation in a single access point. The Regulation prohibits products made with forced labour from being placed on the EU market or exported from the Union, with the aim of strengthening the protection of human rights and promoting more sustainable and transparent supply chains. The launch of the preparedness package marks the beginning of the implementation phase, providing economic operators with the time needed to adapt their due diligence processes and supply chain verification procedures ahead of the Regulation’s application.

The European Union has introduced new customs rules for e-commerce, with the aim of strengthening controls on goods imported from third countries and ensuring a more level playing field for European businesses. Among the main changes is the abolition of the custom duty exemption for parcels valued under €150. To address loopholes that have emerged in recent years, a transitional fee of EUR 3 per item is also foreseen for goods coming from third countries. The measure aims to enhance consumer protection by reducing the risk of non-compliant or potentially unsafe products entering the European market, while ensuring that imported goods comply with EU standards on safety, health and the environment. Online platforms will be responsible for collecting duties at the time of purchase, preventing unexpected costs at delivery and increasing transparency for consumers. The reform is also expected to help reduce the environmental impact linked to packaging and long-distance shipping, while greater data sharing between customs authorities and digital platforms will make controls more effective. Overall, the new system paves the way for the broader EU customs reform planned for 2028 and marks a concrete step toward a safer, fairer, and more sustainable European market.

Artificial intelligence is consolidating its role as a strategic driver of economic growth, and in Italy, the sector is showing increasingly clear signs of improvement, supported by strong market growth, a progressively more structured ecosystem, and a growing international outlook among its economic players. In 2025, the national market reached approximately €1.8 billion, marking a 50% year-on-year increase. According to the ECM AI Observatory by Banca Generali and IRTOP, the sector is becoming increasingly structured, with growing involvement from companies, startups, and investors. AI-focused companies listed on Euronext Growth Milan reported revenue growth of 16.3% and outperformed the broader market, while startups confirm a strong international orientation, with around 60% of their revenues generated abroad. Demand is mainly driven by large enterprises and the public sector, while SMEs are still at an early stage of adoption. Key challenges remain, including the integration of advanced technologies such as Agentic AI, managing risks related to shadow AI, and improving access to capital to support scalability. Further development will depend on stronger ecosystem integration and alignment with international best practices.

The European Commission has published the 2025/2026 Annual Report on European SMEs together with a new report on women entrepreneurship, providing an updated overview of the European business landscape and the key challenges that will shape future EU policies supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. In 2025, Europe’s SMEs sector, with more than 34 million enterprises, continued its growth path, recording a 1.8% increase in the number of enterprises, a 2.5% rise in real value added and 1% employment growth. At the same time, the reports underline the need to accelerate the uptake of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, boost productivity and improve access to finance, particularly for women-led businesses, which still account for only one third of entrepreneurs across the EU.

The European Commission has published the final version of the Code of Practice on the marking and labelling of content generated or manipulated by artificial intelligence, with the aim of supporting providers and deployers in complying with the transparency obligations laid down in the AI Act, which will apply from 2 August 2026. The voluntary Code provides practical guidance on identifying AI-generated content, including deepfakes, images, videos, audio and text, as well as on informing users when they interact with AI systems such as chatbots and virtual assistants. Developed by a group of independent experts with contributions from more than 180 stakeholders, the document distinguishes between the responsibilities of AI providers and those of organisations deploying AI-generated content. Once endorsed by the European Artificial Intelligence Board, the Code will serve as a reference framework for demonstrating compliance with the AI Act’s transparency requirements.

The Council of the European Union has adopted its partial negotiating position on the regulation establishing the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), one of the key instruments of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034. The new fund aims to strengthen the competitiveness of European industry, reduce strategic dependencies and support investment in strategic technologies and industries through a single financing framework capable of leveraging both public and private investment. The Council’s position introduces, among other elements, a stronger role for Member States in the governance of the Fund, enhanced synergies with programmes such as Horizon Europe and InvestEU, and dedicated measures to facilitate SMEs’ access to funding and advisory services. The negotiating mandate will now enable interinstitutional negotiations with the European Parliament, while the financial aspects of the Fund will be agreed as part of the overall negotiations on the next MFF.

The European Commission has adopted a tax simplification package aimed at reducing administrative burdens for businesses, modernising the EU’s direct tax framework and strengthening the competitiveness of the Single Market. The package consists of two legislative proposals - the Taxation Omnibus and the recast of the Directive on Administrative Cooperation (DAC) - and is expected to generate annual savings of around €8 billion for EU businesses, including €3.3 billion in reduced administrative costs. Key measures include simplifying withholding tax procedures for cross-border payments, reducing reporting obligations for businesses and digital platforms, streamlining overlapping tax rules and enhancing administrative cooperation between Member States. The proposals will now be submitted to the European Parliament for consultation and to the Council for adoption.

The European Commission has adopted a new Recommendation aimed at facilitating the transfer of small and medium-sized enterprises, with the objective of preserving business continuity, employment and economic value across the Single Market. Replacing the 1994 Recommendation, it encourages Member States to introduce coordinated measures to support business transfers, including cross-border transfers, through simpler legal, tax and administrative frameworks, greater use of digital tools and improved access to finance. The Recommendation also promotes awareness-raising, training and advisory measures for business owners and prospective buyers, recognising business transfers as a strategic stage in the life cycle of SMEs and a key driver of European competitiveness. The initiative also addresses priorities highlighted by the European chamber network, which had called for business transfers to be brought back to the centre of the EU agenda, through stronger coordination, simplification, dedicated financial instruments and support for generational and cross-border transfers.

As part of the 2026 European Semester Spring Package, the European Commission published its economic assessment and country-specific recommendations for Italy, outlining the country’s main structural challenges in terms of competitiveness, sustainability and social cohesion. While employment growth remains positive and progress has been made in implementing the Recovery and Resilience Plan, Italy continues to face weak productivity growth, high public debt, significant regional disparities and persistent demographic challenges. The Commission calls on Italy to strengthen an innovation-driven industrial policy, support research and business growth, accelerate the energy transition and improve the business environment through administrative simplification, a more efficient justice system and stronger competition. Particular attention is also given to increasing women’s and young people’s participation in the labour market, improving skills, tackling undeclared work, ensuring the sustainability of the healthcare system and reducing territorial and social inequalities.

The European Commission has launched a targeted consultation on the documentation to be required from importers to demonstrate the country where steel was originally melted and poured (“melt and pour”), under the new EU Steel Regulation. The measure, a key element of the traceability regime, aims to strengthen transparency in steel trade and address the effects of global overcapacity on the European steel market. The consultation, open from 4 June to 2 July 2026, is addressed to producers, users, traders, importers, industry associations and other stakeholders, with the aim of identifying practical and reliable documentary evidence. The relevant Implementing Act is expected to be adopted by 31 August 2026 and to enter into force on 1 October 2026. The EU Steel Regulation will apply from 1 July 2026.

The European Commission has published the European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard, a new monitoring tool designed to provide a comparative overview of the performance of European entrepreneurial ecosystems over the 2020-2025 period. Based on 36 indicators grouped across six dimensions, the framework analyses aspects related to startups, scaleups and access to finance, allowing comparisons between Member States and, for selected indicators, with global competitors. The tool also includes the Startup and Scaleup Index, which classifies European countries into four performance groups (“front-runner”, “high-performing”, “catching-up” and “rising”). In 2025, Italy is included in the “catching-up” category, showing an improvement compared to the previous year. The initiative forms part of the broader EU strategy aimed at strengthening competitiveness, innovation and the growth capacity of European businesses.

The European Commission has presented the European Technological Sovereignty Package, aimed at strengthening the EU’s capacity in strategic areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cloud and open source. The initiative includes two legislative proposals, the Chips Act 2.0 and the Cloud and AI Development Act, alongside an Open Source Strategy and a roadmap for digitalisation and AI in the energy sector. The package seeks to reduce structural dependencies on non-EU suppliers, while supporting the development, deployment and security of critical technologies for businesses, citizens and public administrations. Key measures include strengthening Europe’s semiconductor base, expanding data centre capacity, supporting European open-source solutions and ensuring the sustainable integration of digital infrastructure into the energy system. The legislative proposals will now be examined by the European Parliament and the Council.

The European Commission has presented a plan to modernise the Union’s legislative process, with the aim of making EU rules clearer, simpler and better enforced, while strengthening the competitiveness of the Single Market. The initiative is structured around five main areas: embedding the principle of “simplicity by design” into future legislative proposals; reinforcing the Better Regulation framework to improve transparency and stakeholder involvement; reviewing existing legislation to reduce overlaps and unnecessary complexity; tackling regulatory gold-plating at national level; and accelerating the enforcement of EU rules while reducing the number of long-standing infringement procedures. The Commission also calls on the European Parliament and the Council to ensure the consistent application of simplification and better regulation principles throughout the legislative process.

On 24 April 2026, the European Union and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Washington on a strategic partnership for critical minerals, accompanied by a Joint Action Plan to strengthen the resilience of supply chains. The initiative aims to support more secure, diversified and sustainable supply chains, considered essential for strategic sectors such as energy, automotive, electronics and defence. Priorities include supporting innovative industrial projects, including in third countries, using investment de-risking tools and strengthening links between European and US companies. The Action Plan also provides for the examination of coordinated trade instruments, including markets based on common standards, offtake agreements, pricing mechanisms and stockpiling, as well as rapid response measures in the event of supply disruptions. Although not legally binding, the agreement confirms the EU and US’s commitment to strengthening transatlantic economic security and reducing strategic dependencies in a sector that is increasingly central to industrial competitiveness and the energy transition.

The European Parliament has adopted its position on the EU multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034, ahead of future negotiations with the Council on the Union’s next long-term budget. MEPs call for the budget to be set at 1.27% of EU GNI, excluding the repayment of NextGenerationEU debt, which they argue should be managed separately in order to avoid affecting EU programmes and investments. Parliament’s position seeks to reinforce the Union’s new strategic priorities, notably defence, competitiveness, innovation and the green and digital transitions, while safeguarding traditional policies such as cohesion, agriculture and support for SMEs. MEPs also call for increased funding for key programmes including Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, the Connecting Europe Facility and the European Competitiveness Fund, while stressing the importance of transparency, democratic scrutiny and the introduction of new own resources to finance the EU budget. Interinstitutional negotiations may begin once the Council has agreed on its common position.

The European Commission has adopted the Clean Energy Investment Strategy, with the aim of strengthening the financial framework for the energy transition and mobilising more private capital toward the clean energy sectors. The initiative addresses a particularly high investment need, estimated at €660 billion per year through 2030, and aims to support a more secure, competitive, and decarbonized energy system.

The strategy calls for the use of public resources as leverage to reduce risks, lower financing costs, and attract a broader range of investors. In this context, the EIB Group intends to mobilize over €75 billion over the next three years. Key measures include improving access to capital for electricity network operators, supporting bank lending to smaller operators, backing innovative energy technologies and energy efficiency, and establishing the Energy Transition Investment Council to strengthen dialogue between public institutions and investors.

The European Commission has launched the first operational cycle of the platform for aggregating demand for critical raw materials, under the mechanism established by the Critical Raw Materials Act, with the aim of strengthening the Union’s supply chain security and resilience. This voluntary, market-based instrument enables European companies to pool their demand and connect with suppliers, financial institutions and storage operators, thereby facilitating access to more diversified and competitive sources. The mechanism also provides for demand–supply matching activities, enhanced transparency on available opportunities and support for the development of new strategic projects, including through the involvement of financial partners. As part of the EU's strategy to reduce strategic dependencies, it focuses on raw materials essential to key value chains, such as green and digital technologies, defence, and batteries.

The Council of the European Union has adopted a directive aimed at strengthening coordination between national insolvency regimes, with the aim of reducing existing disparities and improving conditions for investment, particularly in cross-border contexts, within the framework of the Capital Markets Union.

The provisions introduce tools designed to make procedures more efficient and focused on value preservation, addressing both the prevention of prejudicial transactions prior to insolvency and the strengthening of asset tracing mechanisms, including through access to bank account registers. In this context, the Directive also establishes the ‘pre-pack’ procedure, which allows for the preparation of the sale of the business or parts thereof prior to the formal opening of proceedings, facilitating swifter execution and the continuity of essential contracts.

The European Commission has adopted a temporary State aid framework to enable Member States to support the Union’s economy amid the Middle East crisis. The new instrument (METSAF - Middle East crisis Temporary State aid Framework) introduces targeted and temporary measures for the most exposed sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, transport and energy-intensive industries, and will remain in force until 31 December 2026. 

The framework notably allows compensation of up to 70% of additional costs linked to increases in fuel and fertiliser prices, while also providing simplified options for granting limited amounts of aid. It further introduces enhanced flexibility to support energy-intensive industries, including higher aid intensities for electricity costs. The measures, subject to notification, will benefit from fast-track approval procedures.

On 28 April, the European Commission has published the first review of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), confirming that, in its first two years of application, the regulation remains fit for purpose and has already had a positive impact on businesses, developers and users. According to Brussels, the DMA, applied to designated ‘gatekeepers’, has already delivered tangible results thanks to obligations such as data portability, the ability to choose alternative services such as browsers and search engines, and the opening up of digital ecosystems to app stores and third-party services.

In the coming years, the Commission plans to focus on cloud computing and artificial intelligence, strengthening enforcement and working on interoperability, transparency and methods for assessing the regulation’s impact.

Progress is ongoing on the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), a key component of the EU’s forthcoming multiannual budget and future industrial policy. In this context, the European Parliament has published the briefing Can the European Competitiveness Fund deliver?, at the request of the Committee on Budgets (BUDG). The document offers an initial structured assessment of the proposal, highlighting its potential and limitations.

The briefing identifies several positive aspects, including the attempt to reduce fragmentation in the European financial architecture by introducing a single rulebook, greater standardisation of instruments, strengthening InvestEU, and closer coordination with Horizon Europe. However, the briefing also raises several critical issues, including the absence of a clear prioritisation framework, the risk of resource dispersion, insufficient financial leverage, undefined coordination with other EU instruments, and a governance structure deemed weak in terms of transparency, safeguards, and accountability.

With the entry into force of Directive (EU) 2026/470 on 18 March 2026, the Omnibus I package has become operational, launching a significant review of the European framework on sustainability and sustainable finance.

The intervention particularly affects the CSRD and CSDDD, aiming to reduce compliance burdens and narrow the scope of companies subject to the related obligations.

CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) Amendments

Regarding the CSRD, the new framework limits its scope to large companies exceeding 1,000 employees and €450 million in annual net turnover, significantly reducing the number of entities required to report ESG under European standards. In Italy, the perimeter shrinks to just a few hundred companies, mainly concentrated among major groups and the most economically significant entities.

CSDDD  Amendments

As for the CSDDD, the review introduces more selective criteria, applying due diligence obligations only to companies with at least 5,000 employees and €1.5 billion in turnover. In Italy, the obligations will focus on a very limited number of large operators, excluding almost all SMEs.

The European Commission has presented a proposal for a regulation on the EU Inc., marking the first concrete legislative development of the 28th regime. This optional, digital and harmonised legal framework is designed to facilitate operations within the single market. The main objective of this initiative is to reduce regulatory fragmentation across the 27 national legal systems, by simplifying the establishment, operation and cross-border growth of businesses, particularly for start-ups and scale-ups.

According to the proposal, EU Inc. is a company form that allows for the incorporation of an EU Inc. entirely online within 48 hours, at a maximum cost of €100, with no minimum capital requirements and simplified procedures throughout the company’s entire lifecycle. The regulation also provides for extensive use of digitalisation, the BRIS system and the ‘once-only’ principle to facilitate the cross-border circulation of company information. The proposal confirms the role of national business registers as the competent authorities for registration and the conferral of legal personality, whilst placing them within a more harmonised framework at EU level.

The European Commission has launched two new strategic initiatives to strengthen the future of the maritime sector: the EU Maritime Industrial Strategy and the EU Ports Strategy. Together, these initiatives set out a vision and a series of concrete actions to support and safeguard Europe’s maritime sector, with the aim of enhancing the competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of the entire EU shipping, port and shipbuilding ecosystem.

The Maritime Industrial Strategy is designed to foster innovation, competitiveness and decarbonisation across the shipbuilding and shipping industries. It promotes the uptake of advanced technologies and low-emission fuels, alongside the establishment of a maritime industrial alliance.

The Ports Strategy, in parallel, focuses on modernising European ports through digitalisation, the electrification of infrastructure and better integration with rail and road networks. These changes will be supported by investments in training and workforce reskilling, helping to drive the transition towards a more sustainable and digitalised maritime system.

The European Commission presented the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), a legislative proposal designed to reinforce the EU's industrial base and to increase demand for low-carbon, European-made technologies and products. The measure introduces "Made in EU" preferences in public procurement for strategic sectors such as steel, cement, cars and net-zero technologies, simplifies authorisations with a single digital gateway and imposes conditions on foreign investments exceeding €100 million, including minimum European employment and technology transfer.

The objective is to minimise external dependencies, encourage innovation and increase the share of manufacturing to 20% of European GDP by 2035.

The European Commission has put forward a new package of measures to strengthen the EU’s cybersecurity, responding to the growing number of cyber and hybrid attacks targeting essential services and democratic institutions. The central element is a revision of the Cybersecurity Act, intended to make ICT (information and communications technology) supply chains more secure and to ensure products and services are protected by design from the outset. The proposal introduces a simpler and faster EU-wide certification system, aimed at reducing costs and administrative burdens for businesses. It also places particular emphasis on limiting risks linked to suppliers from third countries considered sensitive, especially in mobile telecommunications networks. The package further strengthens the role of ENISA (the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity), which will support Member States and businesses in preventing and managing cyber incidents, including ransomware attacks.

Following the signing of the EU–Mercosur Agreement on 17 January, the European Parliament approved a motion to request the judicial review of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in order to verify the agreement’s compliance with the EU Treaties. The referral to the Court could affect the timeline for implementation, potentially delaying the agreement’s entry into force by up to two years.

Cyprus will hold the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 January to 30 June 2026. Its agenda focuses on building a more autonomous and resilient Europe, able to act more effectively in strategic areas—starting with security and defence—while continuing to engage in international dialogue. Another priority is to boost competitiveness through a more efficient Single Market, simpler rules and targeted support for SMEs. The Presidency also highlights innovation and digital transformation as key drivers of growth, alongside investment in skills. Externally, Cyprus aims to strengthen partnerships with third countries and promote a balanced trade policy. It will also pay particular attention to social and territorial cohesion, seen as essential to ensuring fair and inclusive transitions.

On 17 January, the European Union and the Mercosur countries signed a Partnership Agreement (EMPA) and an Interim Trade Agreement (iTA), marking a historic step forward in relations between the two regions. The deal creates one of the largest free trade areas in the world, covering around 700 million consumers and potentially increasing EU exports to Mercosur by an estimated 39%. It also strengthens geopolitical cooperation and support for multilateralism, with expected benefits for economic growth, employment, environmental sustainability, and the green and digital transitions. The agreements must now go through the respective ratification processes in the EU and the Mercosur countries before they can fully enter into force.