The European Union issues more laws than it has in the past 15 years.
Despite its promises to reduce bureaucracy unprecedentedly, the European Commission (EU-Kommission) failed to achieve this goal by 2025. An unpublished study by the German metal industry association Gesamtmetall, which was reviewed by the WELT AM SONNTAG newspaper, showed that the number of regulations (Rechtsakte) issued reached 1456, the highest number since 2010.
During the same year, the Commission proposed 21 directives (Richtlinien) and 102 regulations (Verordnungen), in addition to issuing 137 delegated acts (delegierte Rechtsakte) and 1196 implementing acts (Durchführungsrechtsakte). This came despite the commitment of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to reduce regulatory rules unprecedentedly. The figures also indicate that her first presidential term from 2019 to 2024 saw more legislation than the two terms of her predecessors.
The CEO of the Gesamtmetall Association, Oliver Zander, stated that the European Commission continues to make promises to ease the burdens on the economy, but the results have once again been disappointing. He added that Brussels imposes an average of four new regulations on companies daily, emphasizing that this approach is completely contrary to the concept of reducing bureaucracy, and that many companies can no longer keep up with the implementation of these laws.
Delegated legislation (delegierte Rechtsakte) is one of the most concerning aspects, as it allows the Commission to introduce technical details into laws in a nearly independent manner, without direct political oversight.
In this context, former German European Commissioner Günther Verheugen warned that this type of legislation represents a democratic gray area. He explained that bureaucratic officials make decisions that affect the lives of millions of citizens and thousands of companies across Europe, considering that this path is very concerning, even if it is convenient for the European Commission.