Germany, Italy, Belgium propose 'emergency brake' for new EU laws

According to Politico, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever have called on European Council President Antonio Costa to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses, cut bureaucracy and speed up project approvals.

The proposed mechanism would allow stopping EU initiatives that create excessive burdens for businesses—especially small and medium enterprises—as well as for national governments.

The initiative comes ahead of the EU summit in Brussels, where leaders plan to discuss the long-term budget, energy prices and support for Ukraine.