US and European Union officials meet in Brussels today to discuss the regulatory pressures facing European companies listed in the US.

The meeting follows hints from blue-chip German companies, such as Siemens, the industrial group, that they are considering de-listing from the New York Stock Exchange to avoid the burden of US regulations, including Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. These rules require companies listed on US exchanges to produce full periodic reports of their activities and file them with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the US regulator.