Allied For Startups at the S9+ Coalition Meeting in Luxembourg

On 8-9 June, our Head of Policy, Vasco Pereira da Silva, and Startup Policy Officer, Diego Hansen Recalde, joined the S9+ Coalition in Luxembourg for the D9+ Ministerial Meeting, bringing together startup organisations from Europe’s most digitally advanced countries.

Over two days, policymakers, business leaders, and startup representatives came together to discuss Europe’s digital future and what is needed to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and the ability of European companies to scale globally.

A key moment was the handover of the S9+ Luxembourg Declaration to European Commission EVP Henna Virkkunen and ministers from across Europe, including Luxembourg’s Minister Elisabeth Margue, Portugal’s Minister Gonçalo Saraiva Matias, the Netherlands’ Minister Willemijn Aerdts, Czech Deputy Minister Jan Sechter, and Poland’s Secretary of State Dariusz Standerski.

The declaration sets out practical steps to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, with a focus on reducing fragmentation, simplifying rules, improving access to funding, and strengthening support for companies scaling across borders.

Alongside the policy discussions, S9+ members also took part in working sessions at the House of Startups Luxembourg (HoST) focused on real startup challenges, featuring key ecosystem players including Salonkee, Technoport, Luxinnovation GIE, LuxConnect, and Spaak Technologies.

A big thank you to the S9+ Coalition, and a special shoutout to PULSE and House of Startups Luxembourg for hosting us and creating the space for such important conversations.