The European Commission has stepped up enforcement of its crypto-asset regulatory framework, opening infringement procedures against 13 member states over failures to implement or comply with new European Union rules governing crypto-asset taxation and markets.
In its latest package of infringement decisions, the European Commission said it had sent letters of formal notice to 12 member states — Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal — for failing to fully transpose EU rules on tax transparency and information exchange for crypto-assets into national law.
The action relates to Directive (EU) 2023/2226, which amends the EU’s long-standing framework for administrative cooperation in taxation to extend reporting and information-sharing requirements to crypto-asset service providers.
The directive is designed to close gaps in oversight created by the rapid growth of digital assets and to strengthen the EU’s ability to combat tax fraud, tax evasion, and tax avoidance linked to investment income.
Under the rules, crypto-asset service providers are required to report certain user and transaction data to tax authorities, allowing member states to exchange information across borders.
The Commission said timely and complete implementation by all member states was essential to achieving greater tax transparency across the bloc.
The 12 countries concerned now have two months to respond to the Commission, complete the transposition of the directive, and notify Brussels of the measures taken.
If their responses are deemed unsatisfactory, the Commission may escalate the cases by issuing reasoned opinions, a formal step that can ultimately lead to proceedings before the EU’s top court.
Separately, the Commission also opened an infringement procedure against Hungary for failing to comply fully with the EU’s landmark crypto-asset rulebook, the Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation, or MiCA.
The Commission said amendments introduced under Hungary’s 2025 legislation created a new authorisation regime for so-called “exchange validation services” that includes criminal liability, a requirement not provided for under MiCA.
According to the Commission, the changes have led some crypto-asset service providers to suspend or discontinue services, harming clients and creating legal uncertainty.
MiCA, which applies directly across the EU, is a central pillar of the bloc’s digital finance strategy and aims to provide legal certainty, protect consumers and investors, safeguard financial stability and ensure the smooth functioning of the single market for crypto-assets.
While Hungary has cited stronger anti-money-laundering safeguards as its objective, the Commission said national measures must remain compatible with EU law.
Hungary has also been given two months to respond to the Commission’s concerns before further action may be taken.
The Commission said the infringement actions underline its determination to ensure uniform application of EU crypto rules, at a time when digital assets are increasingly integrated into mainstream finance.
It also said it had closed 72 infringement cases in other policy areas where member states had brought their laws into line with EU requirements, highlighting ongoing scrutiny of compliance across the bloc’s legal framework.
