Allied For Startups at the PromethEUs Network roundtable hosted by I-Com, Institute for Competitiveness Brussels

Yesterday, our Head of Policy, Vasco Pereira da Silva, took part in an event organised by the PromethEUs Network, hosted at the I-Com Brussels office.

The event featured a presentation of PromethEUs’ latest study, “Making the EU’s 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework Work for Southern Europe,” followed by a panel discussion with Armando Melone (Policy Officer for Access to Finance, DG GROW), MEP Helder Sousa Silva (European People’s Party), and Katinka Clausdatter Worsøe (Attaché for Digitalisation and Telecommunications at the Danish Permanent Representation).

This was followed by a roundtable discussion exploring the proposed budget, whether it is sufficient to boost EU competitiveness and digital leadership, the implications of the revised MFF structure, and the capacity of Southern European countries to deploy funds effectively.

During his contribution, Vasco stressed that Europe’s competitiveness problem stems from fragmentation that prevents startups from scaling within the Single Market. He also highlighted the European Competitiveness Fund as a move toward simplification and emphasised that the next MFF must prioritise technology adoption and cross-border scaling to close Europe’s innovation gap.

Thank you to the organisers for the kind invitation and for bringing the startup perspective to the table, and to all participants for the interesting exchange.