EU Tax Compass

EU Tax Compass is a branch of the EU Tax Observatory, designed to stimulate an in-depth tax policy debate in Europe and beyond. The project promotes pro-growth tax policies that advance key European Union priorities – fairness, the green transition and behavioural change – and delivers actionable recommendations to strengthen the EU’s capacity to design efficient, fair and competitive tax systems.

Led by Bruegel, the project brings together six leading academic institutions: Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Institut des Politiques Publiques, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, University of Amsterdam, Fundación de Estudios de Economía Aplicada and Copenhagen Business School.

Over three years, EU Tax Compass will advance the policy debate at the EU and member state level through research, events and sustained dialogue with policymakers, businesses and civil society. Its work spans five core areas: how taxation interacts with competitiveness; how tax policy shapes business activity and investment; how green taxation can support climate objectives while maintaining fairness; how VAT modernisation can contribute to a stronger, more integrated Single Market; and how behavioural taxation can be designed to support climate, environmental and health objectives.

The project builds a multidisciplinary network of experts across Europe and beyond, ensuring research is both rigorous and policy-relevant. It delivers stakeholder workshops, policy papers, launch events and international conferences.