In a written answer on 29 July 2026, Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné outlined the Commission's existing and proposed instruments to prevent speculative buyouts of strategic European companies by investment funds, responding to concerns raised by The Left MEP Anthony Smith over recent acquisitions in France that have led to plant closures and threats to defence-sector industrial capacity. Séjourné pointed to the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), proposed by the Commission on 24 January 2024, which would impose conditions on certain large foreign direct investments, including a minimum 50% EU worker employment threshold, a requirement to allocate 1% of gross annual revenue to EU research and development, and an obligation for investors to publish a strategy demonstrating efforts to source inputs from Europe.
He also highlighted the recently adopted Regulation (EU) 2026/1386 on foreign investment screening, which replaces the 2019 framework and aims to strengthen and harmonise protection of EU security and public order. The answer did not announce new measures specifically targeting 'vulture funds' or introduce EU mechanisms requiring sustained production after acquisitions, instead reiterating commitments already on the table. The IAA remains under negotiation, and the new screening regulation has just entered into force, meaning their effectiveness against speculative takeovers will depend on implementation and enforcement by member states. The Commission's approach balances industrial sovereignty with openness to foreign investment, but critics may argue that the proposed conditions do not go far enough to prevent asset-stripping or to mandate long-term industrial planning by acquirers.