‘EU Inc.’ Bill a ‘Crucial Step’ for Single Market: von der Leyen

A European Commission bill to reform the bloc’s corporate legal framework proposes tax authorities streamline procedures and defer taxes on options.

The bill, known as EU Inc. and published Wednesday, is meant to offer an optional single set of EU-wide rules, instead of the current 27 regimes of the member states. It aims to reduce duplication and paperwork associated with setting up and liquidating companies—especially innovative startups.

The measure creates a “once-only” data exchange requirement: The government of the country in which a company is set up would issue tax identification and value-added tax numbers and share them with other ...