This Policy Brief examines the potential of the 28^th regime to reduce the barriers for businesses operating across the EU. It argues that operating as an EU Inc. will reduce the costs of conducting business across multiple Member States. However, because of the dependence on national law and institutions, EU Incs will still have to operate in a fragmented regulatory landscape. While some have criticised this reliance on national frameworks, it seems clear that this was a pragmatic decision designed to avoid the political roadblocks of previous efforts at European company law reform.

Section 1 of the Policy Brief sets out the historical context, briefly discussing the historical national political resistance to European company law reform.  Section 2 outlines the proposed 28^th regime of company law. Section 3 provides some analysis of the 28^th regime and makes some observations about its potential to reduce regulatory fragmentation in the EU.