EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy – progress so far and challenges ahead

Today, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, hosted the third European Startup and Scaleup Forum in Brussels, bringing together founders, investors and other industry leaders from across Europe.

Eight months after the adoption of the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, the Forum provided an opportunity to take stock of implementation progress, assess early impact and identify priorities for the months ahead.

Commissioner Zaharieva said:

“Trust in Europe’s ability to deliver for our startups and scaleups was fragile when we met last year. Since then, my focus has been clear: to act, to deliver, and to turn ambition into results. Because if we get this right, we can build the business environment you are asking for: one where founders and investors have the means, the opportunities and the support they deserve, and where their success becomes Europe’s success.”

Implementation milestones

Discussions focused on how key actions under the Strategy are translating into concrete results for startups and scaleups, including:

the launch of the European Business Wallet in November 2025 simplifying cross-border business through a single digital identity
the proposal for the next long-term budget, which foresees a tripling of the budget for the European Innovation Council (EIC) budget
the call for proposals to establish a network of European Startup & Scaleup Hubs, with the winning consortium expected to be announced at the EIC Summit in June 2026

Next steps

Looking ahead, upcoming initiatives under the Strategy were also presented, including the European Innovation Act and the 28th regime, which will make it easier to start and scale across Europe, as well as the launch of the Scaleup Europe Fund, a new, multi-billion fund to invest in the most promising European companies in strategic deep tech areas. Furthermore, the Commission will develop a European Innovation Investment Pact with institutional investors, and an Action Plan for Women in Research, Innovation and Startups, to address gender disparities in research and innovation.

Background

The EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy was adopted in May 2025 and includes a comprehensive set of actions to make the EU the best place in the world to launch and grow technology-driven innovative companies. Key actions are focused on fostering innovation-friendly regulation, improving access to finance, accelerating market uptake and expansion, attracting and retaining the best talent and facilitating access to infrastructure, networks and services. 

The European Startup and Scaleup Forum was launched by Commissioner Zaharieva in February 2025, initially to support the development of the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy and subsequently its implementation, by engaging founders, investors and other innovation stakeholders. The previous two meetings of the Forum, in February and in April 2025, were dedicated to addressing key issues affecting European startups and scaleups, such as access to finance, markets and talent, and regulatory framework and fragmentation issues, as well as to gathering feedback on the building blocks of the Strategy.