[Brussels, 4 June 2024 – contact David de Bakker, [email protected]] Startups and scale-ups stand at the forefront of economic, technological, and social advancement, in the European Union and beyond. With the EU elections on the horizon, startup associations across Europe are therefore rallying for increased recognition and support for startups and scale-ups, proposing initiatives to EU policymakers and advocating for the establishment of a dedicated startup and scale-up intergroup in the European Parliament.

In a comprehensive series of written materials, Allied For Startups and its members elaborate on the proposals outlined in their EU Elections Startup Manifesto, which aims to ensure an effective, innovation-friendly policy environment for startups in the upcoming mandate. These range from the creation of a dedicated Commissioner for digital entrepreneurship to the implementation of a Startup Visa and the standardisation of policies across the continent.

In their joint article, published in Danish media outlet Altinget, MEP Morten Løkkegaard and Johann Svane, Danish Entrepreneurs, state: “This summer’s elections to the European Parliament will be crucial for startups in the EU […] We have to give startups a much bigger voice in the debate when we discuss new EU laws.”

To facilitate the inclusion of startups in the decision-making process, the organisations also advocate for the establishment of an interparliamentary group dedicated to startups and scale-ups. This initiative aims to bring together policymakers, startup associations, and entrepreneurs, fostering dialogue, innovation, and the creation of evidence-based policies.

Speaking about the initiative, Allied For Startups’ Policy Manager, Maxime Ricard, says: “Startups and scale-ups are too often forgotten in EU debates, leading to policies that overlook their specific needs. With the creation of the startup intergroup in the European Parliament, we intend to make the startup ecosystem’s voice heard and thus promote innovation in the EU.”

MEP Tsvetelina Penkova, rapporteur of the own initiative report on startups and scale-ups, already stressed the urgency of legislative action during last year’s AFS Annual Summit: “It is about time we have a proper legislation initiated by the European Parliament to help support the startup ecosystem in the development of startups within the EU.”

For further insights into our vision for the intergroup, please visit this page.

To explore our EU Elections Startup Manifesto in more detail, click this link. 

To download the PDF press release, click here.

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.