Leaders from 19 EU countries wrote to European Council President António Costa on Monday calling for a “constant stream” of proposals to simplify the bloc’s rules.
The letter, sent ahead of a key EU summit starting Thursday in Brussels, signals that leaders will push to intensify the EU’s deregulation drive in order to boost their economies — and placate U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Simplification is key for competitiveness,” reads the letter obtained by POLITICO and signed by the leaders of Germany, France and Italy.
The letter calls for “a systematic review of all EU regulations to identify rules that are superfluous,” which requires “a constant stream of Omnibus proposals from the European Commission throughout its term of office.”
The leaders hone in on corporate sustainability reporting rules: “We particularly expect swift adoption on CSRD and CSDDD simplification,” they write. They also stress that a proposal for a so-called 28th regime for companies is needed “urgently” to provide a harmonized legal framework for operating in the 27-member bloc.
Finally, the leaders call for a special meeting of the European Council on competitiveness in February 2026 and for regular formal updates on progress from the Commission. “The President of the Commission should update the European Council regularly by means of a letter to the EU Leaders ahead of each European Council meeting starting from December 2025,” they write.
Francesca Micheletti reported from Brussels. Hans Joachim Von Der Burchard reported from Berlin.
The post EU leaders demand even more simplification, setting tone for summit appeared first on Politico.
