Von der Leyen Proposes Using AI to Cut Reporting Burden for European Businesses
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed using artificial intelligence tools to reduce administrative burdens on EU companies. She also urged member states to sign a pact against adding extra requirements when transposing EU law.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Oct. 12 proposed using artificial intelligence to streamline administrative procedures for businesses in the European Union. She spoke at a closed-door meeting of the European People's Party (EPP) in Taormina, Sicily, as part of a wider effort to simplify commerce and improve the bloc's competitiveness.
According to a copy of the speech seen by POLITICO, von der Leyen said the Commission would introduce an "only once" approach to business reporting. Companies would submit information a single time, while AI would help public administrations make efficient use of the data. She argued that European firms repeatedly report the same information to public authorities, wasting time that businesses, and Europe, cannot afford.
Not an entirely new idea
The "only once" principle itself is not new. The Commission already included it in its EU Inc. proposal, presented in March 2026, which seeks to create a harmonized corporate framework so that companies can set up and run businesses more easily across the EU. Under that proposal, firms would file information once through an EU-level digital interface, and relevant data would pass automatically between authorities. The proposal, however, does not envisage using AI for the process.
The speech is the first time von der Leyen has explicitly proposed AI to reduce companies' administrative workload. She gave no details on how the system would work, whether it would cover all businesses or when the Commission plans to introduce it.
Pact on national requirements
In the speech, the Commission president also urged governments to back simplification by signing a pact not to add extra requirements when transposing EU legislation into national rules. In a letter to EU leaders sent on Oct. 12, she wrote that a rule agreed at European level cannot become more complex when transposed or implemented nationally.
Under the proposed pact, national capitals would have to identify and justify any additional requirements going beyond EU law, including assessing their impact on businesses and the single market.
