EU investment-screening notifications jump 40 percent

Notifications to the European Commission under the foreign-direct-investment screening mechanism rose from 477 to 667 in 2025, an increase of 40 percent, according to the annual report published on October 14. Authorities closed 88 percent of cases within 15 days, while 12 percent required an in-depth risk assessment.

Manufacturing accounted for 27 percent of notifications, information and communication for 19 percent, finance for 17 percent, and wholesale or retail trade for 13 percent. The Commission issued an opinion in fewer than 2 percent of cases. Manufacturing represented 53 percent of the transactions subjected to detailed review.

By the end of 2025, every member state had established a screening system. Notification duties should therefore be checked against both EU and national rules before the planned signing date.

For Hungarian companies and investors, the figures indicate that transactions involving non-EU capital and sensitive technology or infrastructure may require early screening work and a larger timing buffer. The next step is application of the revised EU screening regulation from January 17, 2028. Related context is available in our coverage of EU critical-raw-material projects and the EU import barometer.