[Brussels, 17 April] We welcome today’s endorsement by the European Parliament of the interinstitutional agreement on fairness and transparency in platform-to-business relations. Benedikt Blomeyer, Manager European Affairs at Allied for Startups, said “The diversity of the platform economy was largely taken into account in the final text and we are pleased that the negotiators have …
Policy
April 5, 2019
Startup Communities look ahead with policy recommendations
We presented 11 concrete policy recommendations for European leaders at the Startup Europe Summit in Cluj. At Startup Europe Summit, Allied for Startups coordinated with Startup Europe the publication of “Startup Policy Ideas”…
Talent
April 5, 2019
It’s all about Talent, Talent, Talent
Next to markets and capital, talent has always been one of the top three things entrepreneurs need to thrive. With more capital available and markets slowly uniting, access to talent is becoming the biggest bottleneck to scaling up in the EU. We suggest three building blocks to policy makers: Train more talent, enable startups to hire …
Open Letter Policy
March 20, 2019
Entrepreneurs in Europe want to thrive!
Dear MEPs, European entrepreneurs are counting on your support to keep them innovating and are urging you to vote against the adoption of the copyright directive. Let’s find a better solution for startups because the current provisions will harm them. Here is why: The SME exemption proposed in the directive does not work for startups: It can …
Policy
March 12, 2019
Upscale Warning for the Startup Nation
The proposed Digital Services Tax will have serious ramifications for France’s ambitions to be a startup nation.
Statement
March 4, 2019
Statement on the IMCO opinion vote on the terrorist content proposal
[Brussels, 4 March 2019] We welcome today’s IMCO opinion on the regulation on preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online as a step towards legal certainty for entrepreneurs in Europe. Although open questions and challenges for entrepreneurs remain, we welcome the clear reference to the liability regime established in the e-commerce directive. We commend the …
Open Letter
February 21, 2019
AFS Open Letter: Why Exemptions Do Not Work For Startups
Dear MEP, Ahead of the Copyright vote in the Legal Affairs committee on 26 February, Allied for Startups shares three reasons why the Copyright Directive does not work for startups: Don’t call it an exemption, and especially not for startups! An expiry date combined with an SME exception does not improve a bad directive. What’s …
Statement
February 20, 2019
AFS Statement on the interinstitutional agreement (IMCO adoption) of the P2B regulation
[Brussels, 21 February] We welcome today’s endorsement of the interinstitutional agreement on fairness and transparency in platform-to-business relations. The swift adoption by co-legislators shows that the European Union is dedicated to improve the functioning of the Digital Single Market and the conditions therein. Lenard Koschwitz, Senior Director Global Public Policy states: “We are pleased that the …
Blockchain Policy
February 16, 2019
Europe❤️Startups: Why Politicians should spend more time with AI and Blockchain entrepreneurs
Europe is a policy innovator, especially when it comes to new technologies. When doing so, it is important to consider where these new technologies come from. For deep tech, such as AI or Blockchain, startups often are the birthplace of the latest trends. By creating an Intergroup on Startups and Scaleups, the European Parliament and …
Statement
February 14, 2019
AFS Statement on the Conclusion of the Trilogues on the Copyright Directive
[Brussels, 14 February] Allied for Startups takes notice that the trilogues on the Copyright Directive has resulted in political agreement. Regretfully, we find that European startups are among the losers of the deal. Many bold and ambitious arguments for a startup and scaleup continent remained unheard by most negotiators. “Europe’s obsession of hitting foreign tech …