Adoption of Startups and Scaleups strategy

European Commission -Speech [Check Against Delivery] Adoption of Startups and Scaleups strategy Brussels, 28 May 2025 Ladies and Gentlemen, Today, the College has taken an important step to make Europe the best place for innovation. The best place to start, to scale, to stay. President von der Leyen made it clear when she presented the new College: Startups and scaleups are a top priority of this Commission. We are delivering on that promise. Our innovators don't just build companies. They create jobs. They turn ideas into solutions that improve and save lives. The good news is that we are not starting from scratch. We are home to 35 000 early-stage startups. We don't lack ideas. We don't lack talent. What we need is a plan to maximise this potential. The Strategy is following the lifecycle of the company, from starting up to succeeding. And this is reflected in our 5 areas of action. They are: 1) innovation-friendly regulation; 2) better finance; 3) fast market uptake and expansion; 4) support for the best talent; and 5) access to infrastructure, networks and services. Let me tell you more about each of them: INNOVATION-FRIENDLY REGULATION Europe is recognized for its strong regulatory standards, providing stability and trust for EU and non- EU investors. In the current geopolitical situation this is really important. At the same time, a European innovator who wants to start a company from zero, struggles with 27 different company...