Fabian Bohnenberger

🎁 Not the gift you were expecting: a list of future application dates of key EU laws – all the way to 2040!

Keeping up with the constant flow of new EU legislation can be overwhelming. With adoption and application timelines varying from law to law, it’s easy to lose track of when key provisions start to take effect. Missing these dates can be both embarrassing and costly.

To help you, I’ve compiled a list of upcoming application dates for recently adopted EU laws. This list highlights when new/revised laws will start to apply. Where available, I include not only the law’s entry into force date, but also when certain provisions of a law start to apply in cases of phased application. This is why some laws appear multiple times in the table below.

The list is based on EUR-Lex data and focuses on files adopted via the Ordinary Legislative Procedure. This means it is non-exhaustive – there are other application dates that are not included. I explain the data and its limitations here: Part 1 and Part 2.

Responding to various requests – thanks for your interest – I make the list available. Use this information at your own risk.

Planning ahead for EU rule changes is crucial to avoid last-minute scrambles and costly surprises. I hope this chronological list can help you stay one step ahead of the upcoming wave of rule changes.