Germany and Italy Seek an 'Emergency Brake' on New EU Laws

Germany and Italy have jointly asked Brussels for an 'emergency brake' power that would let member states stop new EU laws, according to Politico Europe. The request was made by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever, who said the Commission must accelerate its business simplification efforts.

Politico Europe reported the three leaders framed the demand as a matter of competitiveness rather than of institutional reform. The request lands as the EU presidency pushes a proposed cut of roughly €140bn to the bloc's next budget, a separate but parallel argument about what Brussels should and should not spend.

The 'emergency brake' is not a new idea in EU treaty language, where it already exists in limited areas such as social security coordination and judicial cooperation. What is new is the scale the three governments appear to be seeking: a general instrument that could pause legislation across policy areas.

For a region like Valle d'Aosta, the question of who can stop an EU rule is not abstract. The valley holds special autonomy under the Italian constitution, with delegated powers over alpine agriculture, forestry, hydroelectric concessions and parts of environmental protection. Much of that authority now sits beneath a layer of EU directives on water, energy markets and mountain-farm support that the region applies but does not write.

A brake held in national capitals would not return those powers to Aosta. It would move them one step further away, from Brussels to Rome, which is where the region's autonomy disputes have historically been fought. Small-region governments across the Alps — in Italy, France and Switzerland — tend to watch such proposals with the same question: does decentralisation stop at the member state, or does it reach the region?

The three leaders' letter also touches the simplification agenda that has dominated Brussels since the last Commission mandate. Business groups across northern Italy, including the valley's small manufacturing and construction firms, have complained about reporting obligations tied to EU energy and environmental rules. Politico Europe did not report a Commission response to the request, and no timetable for a decision has been published.

The €140bn budget cut proposed by the current EU presidency is a separate negotiation, but the two arguments share a logic: that Brussels should do less, and do it faster. For regions that depend on cohesion funds for road tunnels, avalanche protection and cross-border rail, the combination is worth watching. Neither the wire reports nor the three governments have said how an emergency brake would interact with funding programmes already agreed.

Valle d'Aosta's position inside this debate is narrow but real. It is one of five Italian regions with special autonomy, and its relationship with Rome has often been mediated by Brussels — EU state-aid rules, for instance, have shaped how the region supports its ski lifts and dairy cooperatives. If national capitals gain a stronger hand over new legislation, that mediation changes shape.

Politico Europe reported the request as a joint statement from the three leaders, without quoting a Commission reaction or naming a date for any formal proposal. Until one appears, the emergency brake remains a demand rather than a mechanism.