Ursula von der Leyen: She had announced an “unprecedented” reduction in bureaucracy. Image: keystone
Despite the announced reduction in bureaucracy, the EU Commission introduced almost 1,500 new legal acts in 2025. This is the opposite of the promised reduction in bureaucracy, criticizes one expert.
January 31, 2026, 9:40 p.mJanuary 31, 2026, 9:40 p.m
According to a study, the EU Commission failed in its offensive to reduce bureaucracy last year. The authority under EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched a total of 1,456 legal acts in 2025, more than ever since 2010. This emerged from an investigation by the Gesamtmetall trade association, as “Welt am Sonntag” published an advance report on Saturday.
Von der Leyen announced an “unprecedented” dismantling of rules for last year. “The current EU Commission continually promises relief for the economy. That is the opposite of reducing bureaucracy,” said Oliver Zander, general manager of Gesamtmetall. Many companies can hardly keep up with implementation; Brussels imposes four new legal acts on companies every day. According to the report, the Commission proposed 21 directives and 102 regulations and adopted 137 delegated acts and 1,196 implementing acts.
Sources used:
- Reuters news agency