Germany, Italy, Belgium Push for ‘Emergency Brake’ on EU Laws to Boost Competitiveness

The leaders of Germany, Italy, and Belgium have urged the European Union to adopt a mechanism that would halt new legislation deemed excessively burdensome for businesses, part of a broader drive to strengthen the bloc’s economic competitiveness.

In a letter sent Monday to European Council President António Costa, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever proposed an “emergency brake” to serve as a last-resort safeguard against unnecessary bureaucratic costs from new EU laws. The letter was reviewed by Euronews.

The precise modalities and scope of the proposed mechanism remain undefined, though diplomatic sources indicate the issue will be discussed at Thursday’s EU leaders’ summit in Brussels.

The initiative builds on efforts by an informal coalition of 19 member states, known as the “Friends of Competitiveness,” which is seeking a coordinated response to the challenges facing European industry. The group is led by Germany, Italy, and Belgium.

The three leaders also demanded faster planning and approval procedures for investments in strategic sectors, including decarbonisation, energy, artificial intelligence, and defence.

Under a proposed “priority rule,” certain regulations in these areas would be temporarily suspended to accelerate the development and deployment of new technologies.

Reducing corporate reporting requirements is another key priority outlined in the letter, as the three capitals seek to cut red tape across the Union.

Berlin, Rome, and Brussels further called for a reversal of the burden of proof when assessing the necessity of reporting obligations.

Under their proposal, the need for any reporting requirement would have to be positively justified rather than presumed, a shift that could significantly lighten the administrative load on businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.

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