The European Commission's proposal to create the EU Inc. scheme is precisely one such news.

At first glance, it may seem like just another administrative simplification. Create companies in 48 hours, for less than 100 euros, completely online. But if we look more closely, we realise that we are facing something much deeper. We are talking about a possible redefinition of what it means to create and expand a business in Europe.

For years, one of the biggest obstacles to the growth of European companies has been market fragmentation. Different legal systems, complex bureaucratic processes, high costs and waiting times often discouraged internationalisation. In practice, the single market existed, but with invisible barriers limiting its true potential.

EU Inc. is tackling precisely this problem. By creating an optional regime with harmonised rules, it allows a company to be born with a European logic from day one. No need to navigate through 27 different legal systems, no repeating processes, and no wasting time on bureaucracies that add little to the business.

For Portuguese companies, this could represent a significant change. Traditionally, internationalisation was seen as a complex step, often reserved for companies that are already consolidated. With this new model, this logic can be reversed. A company can be born in Portugal, but with a structure designed to operate throughout Europe from the beginning.

And this changes everything.

The ambition with which projects are created changes. It changes the way investors look at European startups. And above all, the potential scale of growth changes. It is no longer necessary to "taste first in the local market" and then expand. Expansion becomes part of the company's DNA.

There is also an important signal from a political and economic point of view. Europe is finally recognising that competitiveness is not only built with financing or regulation, but also with simplicity. And at a time when other regions of the world continue to gain an advantage in business creation and innovation, this may be a relevant answer.

Of course, there are issues that still need to be clarified. Being an optional regime, it will be interesting to see to what extent it will be adopted by the Member States and by the companies themselves. It will also be important to ensure that this simplification does not create inequalities or conflicts with existing national systems.

But even with these uncertainties, the direction is clear.

For Portugal, in particular, this initiative can be especially interesting. The country is already positioned as an attractive destination for entrepreneurs, with a good quality of life, qualified talent and relatively competitive costs. If we add to this the possibility of creating companies with a European vocation in a simple and fast way, the positioning becomes even stronger.

We can start to see Portugal not only as a good place to live or start a project, but as a real gateway to the European market. A natural starting point for companies that want to grow across borders from day one.

Perhaps the most relevant is this. This is not just a technical measure. It is a change of mentality. An attempt to make Europe more integrated, more agile and more aligned with the reality of an increasingly digital and global economy.

And like many of the most important changes, it started almost quietly.

It now remains to be seen who will know how to take advantage of this opportunity first. Because, as so often happens, it will not only be those who have the best conditions, but those who act faster who will benefit the most.