[Brussels, 15 December 2020, contact: [email protected]]  Allied for Startups today welcomed the announcement of a comprehensive Digital Services Act (DSA) which maintained three key principles of a robust digital economy. 

“Reaffirming the intermediary liability exemption, the country of origin principle and the prohibition of general monitoring are paramount to the scalability of startups in the EU.” Allied for Startups EU Policy Director Benedikt Blomeyer said upon the release this afternoon. “We look forward to working closely with the European Institutions to ensure these are properly clarified in this new regulatory framework and continuing a collaborative discussion around a DSA that benefits startups in the EU.” 

Allied for Startups has advocated in favour of these  principles of the E-Commerce Directive and acknowledges potential in the Digital Services Act (DSA) to harmonise them at EU level. 

However, the organisation maintains its skepticism of legislation based on company size. 

“One chief concern at this point is that regulating based on a threshold may disincentivize growth at the EU level” “Blomeyer added. “We want more EU unicorns and scale-ups, unbridled by regulatory cliffs. If we set a limit, startups will abide by it, and we’ll be stopping growth dead in its tracks.” 

Allied for Startups is a worldwide network of over 40 advocacy organisations focused on improving the policy environment for startups. Our mission is to ensure that the voices of startups are heard in government. For more information on Allied for Startups including a full list of our network, visit the website at www.alliedforstartups.org