Q1. Marco Vianello, as International Advisor of InfoCamere – the Italian Business Register – and Board Member of EBRA, how do you see the transformation driven by artificial intelligence in business registers from a broader perspective?
Artificial intelligence represents a profound shift for business registers.
For many years, registers have been primarily repositories of certified information. Today, AI allows us to move beyond simple storage and retrieval of data toward intelligent processing, automation, and advanced analytical capabilities.
But if we look at this transformation from a broader perspective, AI is not just a technological upgrade.
It is reshaping the role of business registers themselves.
The real question is not only how AI improves efficiency, but how it changes the institutional function of the register — especially in a European context.
Q2. What do you mean by that?
Traditionally, we think of the Business Register as a database. In reality, it is much more than that.
It is an institutional infrastructure of trust.
It guarantees legal certainty, market transparency, and the reliability of corporate information. It protects third parties and ensures stability in economic relationships.
And precisely because of this role, continuity in reliability and data quality must remain non-negotiable.
Artificial intelligence does not reduce this responsibility — it increases it. The more we rely on automated systems, predictive analytics, and algorithmic tools, the greater the need for accurate, consistent, and well-governed data.
AI requires an additional effort in ensuring data integrity, semantic coherence, and robust validation processes.
And this responsibility can no longer be understood purely at national level.
Q3. How does the European dimension change this picture?
The European Union has already taken a crucial step with the Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS).
Through BRIS, national registers are interconnected. Cross-border access to company information is possible. Corporate mobility within the Single Market has been strengthened.
But interconnection is only the first layer.
We are now entering a new phase.
The ongoing proposal to further digitalise and harmonise EU company law aims at:
- greater standardisation of company data,
- increased use of structured, machine-readable formats,
- enhanced interoperability between registers,
- and simplification for companies operating across borders.
This is not just about exchanging information. It is about building a European ecosystem of reliable corporate data.
Q4. The EU is also discussing a possible “28th regime”. How does that relate to business registers?
The discussion around a potential “28th regime” — an optional European framework alongside national regimes — is particularly relevant.
If such a regime moves forward, it would imply a higher degree of standardisation and uniformity at European level.
But you cannot have a truly European legal framework without a coherent and integrated information infrastructure.
Business Registers would become even more central.
Standardised rules require standardised data. European legal forms require European data architecture.
Q5. How does artificial intelligence fit into this European evolution?
Artificial intelligence is a powerful multiplier.
But AI amplifies what already exists.
If data is:
- harmonised,
- structured,
- semantically aligned across Member States,
AI generates value.
If data remain fragmented and inconsistent, AI amplifies fragmentation.
So the key European question is:
Can we develop advanced cross-border tools — for fraud detection, complex ownership analysis, early warning systems — without a truly interoperable data foundation?
Digital reform at the EU level is not only an administrative improvement. It is a technological precondition.
Q6. Is cooperation between European registers already strong enough to support this evolution?
European registers are not starting from scratch.
For many years, they have cooperated closely through the European Business Registry Association (EBRA).
EBRA provides a structured forum where registers:
- exchange best practices,
- coordinate on technical standards,
- discuss strategic challenges,
- and engage with European institutions.
This cooperation is essential.
Integration in Europe does not happen only through directives. It also happens through continuous institutional collaboration.
InfoCamere has always strongly supported EBRA’s founding principles and has significantly contributed to shaping its strategies and common vision.
This demonstrates that European integration is not abstract. It is operational.
Q7. Beyond technology and governance, what are the main challenges ahead?
I see three main challenges.
First, moving from interconnection to integration. We have connected systems. Now we must harmonise semantics and standards.
Second, moving from digitalisation to standardisation. A PDF is digital. Structured, machine-readable data are interoperable.
The real transformation is not from paper to file — but from document to data.
Third, moving from technology to trust. AI, automation, predictive analytics — all of these are powerful tools.
But the value of the Business Register lies in trust.
Trust requires transparency, human oversight where necessary, clear accountability, and common governance principles.
Q8. So, what is your final message about the future of Business Registers in Europe?
If the Single Market is borderless, if companies operate across Member States, if we are discussing a potential 28th regime,
then we must ask ourselves:
Are we ready to build a truly integrated European infrastructure for corporate data?
The future of Business Registers is not only about innovation. It is about the quality of the Single Market. It is about economic transparency. It is about Europe’s credibility in the digital age.
Artificial intelligence can make registers more efficient.
But the real transformation is institutional.
And the real challenge is European.
Thank you.
