Company Law and Compliance

EU OMNIBUS IV - SMALL MID-CAPS

On 21 May the European Commission published its Omnibus IV simplification package, forming part of the series of simplification measures announced in the Commission’s February 2025 Work Programme.

The Omnibus IV proposals include the introduction of a new category of small mid-cap companies (SMCs) with less than 750 employees and an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 150 million or balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 129 million. SMCs, which are “bigger than SMEs but smaller than large companies” would benefit from tailored measures, including the extension of certain supportive measures available to SMEs under GDPR, the Prospectus Regulation and the Batteries Regulation.

The Omnibus IV proposals will go through the EU legislative process. It has not been indicated that any of the proposals will be “fast-tracked”.

STATISTICS (GENDER BALANCE IN BUSINESS SURVEY) ORDER 2025

The Department of the Taoiseach published S.I. No. 95 of 2025 Statistics (Gender Balance in Business Survey) Order 2025 which requires certain undertakings to provide information to the Central Statistics Office for the purpose of compiling statistics.

The Order applies to an undertaking that:

• employs 250 or more persons; and
• is classified for statistical purposes under section B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, S or T of NACE Rev. 2.1.

Undertakings to which the Order applies are required to provide, for the purposes of the survey, the information specified in the Schedule, including the name, job title and gender of each individual on the senior executive team and on the board of directors and information on any targets for female representation on the senior executive team.

UK REGISTER OF OVERSEAS ENTITIES

The UK Companies House has published updated guidance on filing requirements by overseas entities on the Register of Overseas Entities. By way of reminder, Irish corporates holding UK real estate may be within scope of the UK Register of Overseas Entities regime, which is operated by the UK Companies House.

The updated guidance confirms that with effect from 31 July 2025, an overseas entity registered on the Register of Overseas Entities will need to file (in its next annual update statement) details of any change in its beneficial owners that occurred during the “pre-registration period” between 28 February 2022 and 31 January 2023 (or the entity’s registration date, if it registered before 31 January 2023). Where the next update statement is due between 31 July and 31 October 2025, such entities may provide the relevant information in their 2026 update statement.