#AFS

PRESS RELEASE: Digital Services Act vote: An opportunity for startups but a long road ahead

January 20, 2022

[Brussels, 20 January 2021, contact ines@alliedforstartups.org] Allied for Startups welcomes the adoption of the European Parliament’s Resolution on the Digital Services Act which makes a first step towards finding a balance between preventing the dissemination of illegal content and providing startups with the flexibility they need to innovate. 

The Resolution maintains the key principles of the digital economy, while updating the rules for platforms. Speaking about the resolution, Benedikt Blomeyer, Director EU Policy, said “A clarified, harmonised and proportionate DSA will be key for startups looking to scale in the Digital Single Market”. 

The Digital Services Act will update the 2000 E-Commerce Directive. Blomeyer commented “It is crucial to maintain principles such as the Internal Market Clause in the final text. Trilogues still leave opportunities for improvements, for instance ​​by not unnecessarily restricting targeted ads which are of vital importance for our members. The new rules should enable the 10,000 startups in Europe to compete with big digital and analog players”. 

Allied for Startups will continue to engage constructively with policy makers on this key file for startups during the trilogues. The right regulatory framework empowers startups to boost economic development, job creation and disruptive innovation. Policy makers should keep these important economic actors in mind when designing legislation. 

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

You can find the PDF here.