On 28 April 2026, European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis presented a new Communication to the European Parliament outlining concrete measures to step up enforcement of EU law across all policy areas, including faster infringement procedures, stricter financial penalties, and targeted action against gold-plating by Member States. Speaking in a plenary debate on monitoring the application of EU law, Dombrovskis emphasised that while cooperation with Member States remains the Commission's preferred approach, resolute enforcement is necessary when cooperation fails.
The Communication introduces eleven single market focus areas for enforcement, targeting serious implementation problems that disrupt free movement of goods, services, and business establishment. These areas were selected based on identified shortcomings, enforceability, and their expected benefits for businesses and the single market. The Commission will use existing enforcement tools, including pre-infringement dialogues and infringement procedures, and will not hesitate to refer cases to the Court of Justice where necessary.
Faster procedures and AI-powered checks
To tackle persistent delays in transposing EU directives, the Commission is speeding up infringement procedures through streamlined processes and fewer deadline extensions granted to Member States in ongoing cases. AI-powered tools will assist in accelerating transposition checks, while stricter financial penalties will systematically be proposed to the Court of Justice to deter non-compliance. Dombrovskis noted that in 2025, the Commission referred 71 cases to the Court of Justice, 20 of which included requests for financial sanctions. Over the last three years, more than 2,000 infringement cases were closed as Member States achieved compliance.
Reinforcing implementation of regulations
Given the growing role of EU regulations, including for full single market harmonisation, the Commission is reinforcing their implementation and monitoring to promote consistent application across all Member States. The Communication also includes initiatives to tackle gold-plating—the practice where Member States add extra requirements when transposing EU directives, creating unnecessary burdens for businesses.
trade-offs and stakeholder impacts
The new enforcement measures represent a shift towards stronger EU-level oversight and more stringent compliance mechanisms. This increases the power of the European Commission to enforce rules uniformly, but reduces Member States' flexibility in implementation. For EU businesses, particularly those operating across borders, the crackdown on gold-plating and faster resolution of single market barriers could lower compliance costs and improve market access. However, stricter financial penalties and accelerated procedures may impose higher immediate costs on companies that are non-compliant. National authorities face increased administrative burden from faster transposition checks and potential loss of discretion in implementation. EU consumers stand to benefit from more consistent application of product safety and environmental standards across the single market. The balance between effective enforcement and respecting national sovereignty remains a key tension, with the Commission prioritising uniform application over Member State autonomy.
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