Administrative burdens in the European Union amount to €150 billion annually.

Omissions

• The €150 billion is a Eurostat approximation for the reference year 2022, not an audited or measured total; some Commission documents phrase it as 'up to €150 billion' of overall recurring (annual) administrative costs.
• The figure covers recurring administrative/reporting costs linked to EU legislation for companies and administrations; indirect compliance costs (e.g. lost business opportunities) are not included and would make the total economic cost higher.
• The estimate is the Commission's own baseline used to compute the 25% reduction target (€37.5 billion), not an independent third-party measurement.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Communication 'A simpler and faster Europe' (Simplification Communication)Using data available at EU and national level, Eurostat has approximated overall recurring administrative costs at EUR 150 billion in the EU in 2022.
• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Press corner, speech 'Reducing the reporting burdens on European Business'EUROSTAT has approximated the baseline of overall recurring administrative costs for companies and administrations in the EU at €150 billion
• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Simplification topic pageAcross all businesses, we intend to reduce the administrative burden by at least 25%, representing an expected saving of €37.5 billion by 2029.
• SecondaryABN AMRO Research — 'Sovereignty increases EU regulatory burden'The annual administrative burden is estimated at EUR 150 billion, encompassing direct burdens. Indirect burdens, such as companies ...