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Deep dive · 4 min read
The central registry: why "no registry = no EU Inc"
Of the five non-negotiables, one has already been removed from the draft — and the coalition says it is the one that matters most. Here is why the central registry is the whole game.
What "one central registry" means
The second non-negotiable asks for one EU registry: a single register, with a single standard of data, where every EU Inc company is filed. Crucially, it is proposed under Article 114 TFEU — which matters because Article 114 is the legal basis for a Regulation, binding directly in all member states. That is the difference between "one standard" and "27 national implementations of a suggestion".
Why it is currently removed
The removal matters because, without a single registry, "EU Inc" risks becoming 27 national versions — a company registered in Germany that is not recognized the same way in France, defeating the entire purpose of a pan-European standard. The coalition’s line is blunt: without the central registry, there is no real EU Inc.
What it means for founders
- If the registry survives: you incorporate once, in one place, recognized everywhere — the whole value proposition in a single filing.
- If it does not: the entity becomes a shell that still requires navigating 27 national registers — that is, a legal structure "that only works on paper", in the coalition’s words.
What the register outcome actually changes
Two points follow from the draft status:
- If the central registry survives, incorporation happens once, in one place, and is recognized everywhere.
- If it does not survive, the entity still requires navigating 27 national registers.
The register outcome changes how smooth EU Inc is, not the underlying need to understand and act on it. The diagnostic scores the situation against the pillars as they stand, or read what the 28th regime is.