Brussels, 17 February 2025
Start-ups and scale-ups are crucial for Europe’s competitiveness. They often introduce to the market breakthrough innovative solutions capable of tackling the existing societal challenges. However, they still face barriers affecting their growth, including difficulties in accessing private capital in the EU and selling seamlessly across the single market. This initiative will propose a set of policy, financial and legislative measures to improve and simplify framework conditions for start-ups and scale-ups.
In a post on LinkedIn, EU Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva said: “In October, I promised to create a platform where founders and key innovation stakeholders can engage with the European Commission. Today, I am thrilled to announce the launch of the European Startups and Scaleups Forum, along with a public consultation open for the next four weeks”.
The call for evidence is published on the EU Commission’s website “Have your Say”.
This call aims to identify obstacles and propose solutions that will form the foundation of the EU Strategy on Startups and Scaleups: “As a politician and a European, I believe our best path forward is inspired by the experiences of those who face the challenges and triumphs of launching innovative companies in Europe. Our mission is clear: empower these startups with the resources they need to thrive. Over the past six years, more startups have been founded in the EU than in the US. Yet, they lack the necessary conditions for growth within the EU. It’s time to change that.”
“This is Europe’s moment of truth—it’s time to be disruptive and ambitious. We must ask ourselves how to enhance private investment, including venture capital, into European startups. We need to ensure that both European and international talent contribute to “Made in Europe” innovation. And we must reduce regulatory fragmentation to facilitate growth in the Single Market. These are just some of the critical questions we’ll address. Your input during this consultation will be invaluable as we work to create a bold and innovative future for Europe.”
Source – EU Commission