Nicosia, Cyprus. The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve), as coordinator of Enterprise Europe Network Cyprus, has launched a public consultation on the excessive gold-plating of European Union legislation by member states.
The initiative seeks feedback from businesses and stakeholders on national rules that exceed requirements set by Brussels.
Regulatory simplification
Simplifying the regulatory framework and reducing unnecessary administrative burdens remain priorities for the European Commission as it seeks to strengthen business competitiveness across the bloc.
In its April 2026 communication, “A Simpler, Clearer and Better Enforced EU Rulebook”, the Commission committed to developing a toolkit of best practices to help member states identify and avoid excessive legislative implementation.
Single market concerns
The Strategy for the Single Market, issued on May 12, 2025, identified gold-plating as one of the most significant obstacles to the proper functioning of the internal market.
The European Council has also repeatedly called on member states to avoid imposing disproportionate national requirements when transposing and applying EU rules.
Definition and examples
Gold-plating refers to the introduction of national rules or obligations that go beyond the requirements of the corresponding EU act during national implementation of legislation.
According to the European Commission, it may include stricter standards or compliance requirements than those set out in EU legislation, additional registration, reporting or data-submission obligations, and extra licensing or administrative procedures.
Other examples include national labelling, safety or documentation requirements, restrictive interpretations of legislation, and additional sanctions, checks or inspections.