Europe prides itself to be united in diversity and our business ecosystem lives up to this billing. European regulation has for the longest time ensured that citizens benefit from this ecosystem, delivering better products, more innovation and better prices. However, our own regulation is starting to cut into our advantages and possibilities to develop strategic autonomy and a European economic model between the United States and China. We're risking to loose employment and reduce the tax base that finances our welfare systems. EU Institutions need to start supporting our business ecosystem and nurture their innovative capacity and excellence so we can not only manage the transition to a green economy but also market it abroad.

My priorities

• Openess

  As it becomes more difficult to protect intellectual property around the world and as collaborative solutions such as in open source software are becoming the norm, we should reflect how much Europe can gain from being the continent that shares knowledge, fosters excellence and values interoperability of a diverse ecosystem over imposing the standards of the strongest. I would like to push this idea, especially for research and products developed with European public funds.

• Small business

  We should learn from our partners abroad that dedicate significant amounts and public orders to small businesses and ensure that their interests are taken into account in any new legislation being passed. Our European ecosystem is destined for a similar instrument and I would like to evolve the European Small Business Act into a tool that permits our small business to grow, innovate and compete with established business instead of coming under the wheels of regulation.

• Labor mobility and migration

  The next years will already show how much Europe will be dependent on migration to maintain economic output and stable welfare systems. We can listen to the fearmongering of the extreme right or make free education and migration a backbone of our economy. Together with business, I would like to push for a European solution to migration that is humane, includes integration and adequate training and guarantees that bureaucracy and discriminatory legislation are no obstacles to issuing labor permits.

Articles on this topic