The European Commission has proposed a new set of simplification measures aimed at cutting annual administrative costs for businesses by EUR 400 million. The package introduces a new category – small mid-caps (SMCs) – for companies with fewer than 750 employees, granting them access to benefits typically reserved for SMEs, such as simplified GDPR and stock listing rules.

Other proposals include exempting smaller firms from F-gas registration, simplifying record-keeping obligations under GDPR for low-risk data processing, and accelerating the shift to digital product documentation. Legal certainty will also improve through new common specifications when harmonised standards are lacking.

To ease compliance, due diligence rules for batteries will be delayed from 2025 to 2027, giving industry more time and guidance. These changes are part of the Commission’s broader goal to cut admin costs by 25 % overall and 35 % for SMEs by 2024-2025. A defence-focused Omnibus package is expected next, followed by one for the chemicals and digital sectors.