On Wednesday, 24 September, the members of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) indicated they agreed on a proposal that the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU submitted concerning the regulations and directives of the ‘Omnibus IV’ legislation on simplification (see EUROPE 13645/2).
The few Member States that wanted to broaden the scope of companies considered to be ‘small mid-caps’ have won their case: the EU Council’s position sets a threshold of 1,000 employees and €200 million in annual turnover (or €172 million on the [company’s] annual balance sheet).
The European Commission had proposed 750 employees and €150 million in turnover.
On the subject of common specifications—which could replace standards when these are not available—the EU Council insisted, in its negotiating mandate, that they are merely a last resort.
Another change made by Member States is that the transposition period for the two directives contained in the ‘omnibus’ package has been extended to two years instead of one year.
As for the European Parliament, [the institution] is not expected to adopt a position on this package before 2026. The work on digitalisation and the work on ‘small mid-caps’ have been separated, and several parliamentary committees are involved.
The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) is due to vote on the regulation and directive on digitalisation and common specifications when it meets in January 2026.
During an initial debate on the subject on Thursday, 25 September, IMCO committee members welcomed the European Commission’s proposal. Both the text’s rapporteur, Reinier van Lanschot (Greens/EFA, Dutch), and the shadow rapporteurs from the EPP and S&D indicated that it should not be difficult to reach an agreement on this initial text. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)