Von der Leyen turns to artificial intelligence to tame European business paperwork

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has explicitly proposed using artificial intelligence tools to cut administrative burdens and reduce reporting requirements for European businesses. The pitch marks the first time the head of the EU executive has publicly and directly pointed to automated technology as a mechanism for lightening the regulatory paperwork imposed on companies across the bloc.

For small enterprises and multinational firms alike, complying with European regulations means spending hours gathering data and filling out standardized reporting forms. If automated tools can handle the administrative legwork of compliance, businesses could save both time and operational costs. For the average reader, the move signals an effort to ensure that EU regulations do not unnecessarily choke commercial activity with administrative routine, though much depends on whether algorithms can reliably navigate complex compliance frameworks.

In the Berlaymont—the cross-shaped headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels—cutting red tape is an enduring institutional quest. For years, successive executive mandates have promised to slim down bureaucratic burdens, usually by issuing new guidelines on how to streamline old ones. Von der Leyen’s explicit turn to artificial intelligence adds a modern twist to this procedural ritual: rather than simply removing reporting obligations, the executive is proposing to let software write the answers. It is a quintessential Brussels response to administrative bloat—solving the problem of paperwork not by eliminating the questions, but by automating the process of filling in the boxes.

With the concept now explicitly introduced by the Commission President, executive departments will be expected to outline how AI systems can be legally and technically integrated into regulatory reporting workflows. Any concrete measures will eventually face scrutiny from EU member states in the Council and lawmakers in the European Parliament to ensure that algorithmic reporting remains accurate and accountable.