Rue de la Loi: The European Commission reported on 14 October 2026 that EU member states notified 667 foreign investments in 2025, up 40% from 477 in 2024, in its sixth annual report on FDI screening. The Commission says the jump is the highest annual rise since the mechanism was introduced.

Most cases moved quickly through the system. The Commission says 88% of the 667 notified cases closed within 15 days, while 12% required an in-depth security risk assessment, a 4% rise compared with last year. The Commission issued opinions in fewer than 2% of cases, the same share as in 2024 and 2023.

The Commission press release on the sixth annual report breaks the notifications down by sector. Manufacturing accounted for 27% of all transactions, followed by information and communication technologies at 19%, financial activities at 17%, wholesale and retail at 13%, and professional activities at 8%. The in-depth cases clustered mostly in manufacturing, at 53%, up from 50% in 2024.

The report also records a milestone on coverage. “Since late 2025, all EU Member States now have frameworks in place for screening FDI,” the Commission states. Every capital can therefore notify deals and comment on investments in other member states through the same cooperation mechanism.

That cooperation mechanism works in a particular way. The member state where an investment takes place keeps the final decision, while the Commission and the other member states can send comments, and the Commission can issue an opinion. The small share of opinions shows that FDI screening in the EU still relies mainly on national decisions rather than Brussels interventions.

Investors face the clearest effect of the new FDI screening rules. Companies from outside the EU that buy into European manufacturing, technology or financial firms already meet national review systems in every member state. The sixth annual report on FDI screening shows how often those reviews happen and how rarely they end in a Commission opinion.

The legal framework is about to change. The EU adopted a new Foreign Investment Screening Regulation on 17 June 2026, and it will apply from 17 January 2028. It replaces the existing FDI Screening Regulation, which entered into force in October 2020.

For national authorities, the 2025 figures mean heavier caseloads. A rise from 477 to 667 notifications in one year puts pressure on the contact points that handle the 15-day cooperation window. The 88% closure rate within that window suggests the system copes, but the in-depth workload grew as well.

The numbers suggest that screening has become routine business for investors and national authorities alike. A 40% rise in a single year means more companies in manufacturing, technology and finance now plan for a security review when they sell to a non-EU buyer. The fast closure rate also shows that most deals pass without serious concern.

The Commission published the full report as COM(2026)529, together with the staff working document SWD(2026)290, for officials and companies who want the detailed figures. With the new regulation applying from January 2028, the 2025 data gives the clearest picture yet of how FDI screening works before the rules tighten.