VDS Startup Policy Lounge

​One year has passed since Draghi’s warning about Europe’s declining competitiveness. With only 11.2% of his recommendations fully implemented, questions arise as to whether Europe is truly ambitious enough to chart a path toward a more innovative and globally competitive future.

In an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape, decisive action is needed to accelerate startup growth and secure Europe’s place on the world stage. Yet with the 28th Regime, once a key rallying point for the European startup ecosystem, now on the verge of being turned into a directive and watered down, the EU seems unable to address the market fragmentation at the root of the problem.

This comes despite the fact that deeper integration of the Single Market could unlock enormous potential, boosting Europe’s GDP by up to 10% and creating the conditions for homegrown global champions, perhaps even a European trillion-euro company. However, as the major policy efforts once seen as game-changers continue to come in short, questions are increasingly being raised about the EU’s ability to drive Europe to the forefront of global competitiveness.

We invite you to the Startup Policy Lounge at VDS which will explore what these developments mean for the future of European innovation, examining the struggles faced by startups, what is needed for them to fully succeed, and how Brussels is responding to these challenges. The discussion will also look at what this means for Europe’s capacity to compete, and win, on the global stage.

Speakers
- Moderator: Lucien Burm, President, Dutch Startup Association.
- Sacha Michaud, Co-founder, Glovo
- Vasco Pereira da Silva, Head of Policy, Allied For Startups

Co-Hosted by Adigital, Allied For Startups, Estech and Startup Valencia.