Activities of Damian BOESELAGER related to 2023/2110(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on increasing innovation, industrial and technological competitiveness through a favourable environment for start-ups and scale-ups
Amendments (34)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas a central aspect of successful entrepreneurial activity is the ability to provide competitive products or services to customers at profitable scale, implying for policy makers that the most effective path to promote start-ups and scale-ups in the Union is to facilitate market entry, business expansion and access to capital;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A a (new)
Recital -A a (new)
-Aa. whereas start-ups and scale-ups are characterised by limited personal resources and a comparatively limited ability to comply with complex regulatory regimes or funding procedures;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A b (new)
Recital -A b (new)
-Ab. whereas a weakening of state aid and competition rules in the Union increases barriers to market entry for start-ups and scale-ups and thus hinders the competitive allocation of capital based on merit;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Commission has various initiatives in place aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and digital transformation in the EU, such as the start-up and scale-up initiative, the digital decade and the digital single market strategy, as well as funding programmes dedicated to innovation across various policy streams, notably cohesion policy and research and innovation policy ;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the business needs and specific challenges of start-ups and scale- ups are often different in nature from those of established SMEs;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that, in market economies, the primary mechanism to finance businesses’ capital needs, including those of start-ups and scale-ups is via private debt and equity markets; urges the completion of the Capital Markets Union to mobilise private capital and improve cross-border movement of such capital within the Union; calls on the Commission to facilitate the listing of scale-ups on European stock exchanges, including by harmonising reporting standards, listing requirements and disclosure rules for small-cap and entry standard listings;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls on the Commission and Member States to further coordinate their respective efforts to attract private capital in start-ups and scale-ups to cross the successive “valleys of death” and fill the respective gaps;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Is of the view that the policy tool of equity investment by public institutions, in particular, should remain an exception and should, as a general guiding principle, address only market failures;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Expects the Commission to take utmost care of the interests of start-ups and scale-ups in competitive market access when evaluating exemptions from state aid rules, merger-control rules and loosening of competition policy provisions;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is worried that the failure to adopt proper definitions hinders the effectiveness of existing policies and legislation; notes that, although start-ups and SMEs have some overlapping interests, they differ substantially once they enter the fundraising and growth phase; believes, therefore, that simply classing start-ups as SMEs, without a clear division, limits their growth, access to markets and investment opportunities; Calls on the Commission and Member States to introduce this distinction into their work, such as in the context of statistics, and to establish a dedicated network of advisors for scale- ups in the framework of the EEN;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, as part of the upcoming SME relief package, to identify ways to introduce further financial incentives aimed at promoting the adoption of technology by start-ups and scale-upsproducts and services commercialised by start-ups and scale-ups, including in public procurement;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. WelcomNotes the creation of the European Innovation Council Fund to support innovative start-ups; reiterates its concerns regarding issues in the implementation of the EIC Accelerator, and is particularly concerned about the lack of transparency with respect to the methods of capital allocation in the EIC and about the lack of accountability of the fund’s managers; stresses the risks of conflicts of interest inherent to its logic of intervention; reminds that private capital allocation usually involves intense due diligence processes and risk-return assessments; points out the concern that investing public taxpayer funds at lower due diligence standards or higher risk tolerance crowds out private investment, thereby undermining the long-term prospect of European start-ups; calls on the Commission to publish and explain its due diligence and risk assessment procedures for equity investment, and to regularly report on the decisions taken;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission to supportfocus its efforts on fast-tracking the harmonisation of capital markets across the Union, and on facilitateing the participation of innovative start-ups and scale-ups in EU funding programmes and projects contributing to the twin green and digital transition;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes the EU’s objectives concerning the Net Zero Industry Act2 and calls on the Commission to consider how additional fiscal inceninitiatives could be put forward for start-ups and scale-ups, in order to encourage investments in net- zero technologies and participation in net- zero projects and facilitate the deployment of net-zevolved in EU industrial value chains to further benefit from technologies in EU industrial value chains;he global cleantech race; _________________ 2 Commission proposal of 16 March 2023 for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology products manufacturing ecosystem (Net Zero Industry Act) (COM(2023)0161).
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Urges the Commission to enhance the funding mechanisms for start-ups and scale-ups, including public procurement and the provision of grants, loans and venture capital, and to explore the possibility of establishing a dedicated European start-up , guarantees, while taking care not to crowd out private investment, and to reorient existing funds to target European start-ups and scale-ups more effectively; calls on the Commission to act as launch- customer by dedicating a share of its own procurement to Europeand scale-up funds;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Highlights the need to protect and promote access for start-ups and scale-ups to public procurement processes, such as in the context of the digitalisation of public administrations, to foster the creation of a dynamic and competitive European digital sector; in this context calls for allocating at least 10% of digital Union public procurement contracts to start-ups and scale-ups;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Encourages regulation that allows funds, insurances and other institutional investors to invest a significant portion of new investment mandates in start-ups and scale-ups; supports a EUR 100 million EIB investment scheme to back infrastructure investment loans for start- ups and scale-ups engaged in the green and digital transitions, subject to conditions;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. EncouragesReminds the catalytic role that targeted public support, in the form of grants, loans or loan guarantees, plays in bridging the funding gap for infrastructure and manufacturing capacity for start-ups and scale-ups, particularly in cases where private investments are insufficient or unavailable; encourages, therefore, the European Investment Fund and national development banks to increase their investments infinancial support to start-ups and scale-ups, particularly those operating in emerging and high-potential sectorthrough the provision of loan guarantees and the de-risking of manufacturing scale-ups through manufacturing guarantees;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Recognises, in particular, that the EIB Group plays a crucial role in providing financial instruments and resources to support cleantech start-ups and scale-ups across the Union; highlights the necessity of the EIB to become a prominent climate bank, as part of the Union's commitment to the European Green Deal and the Paris Agreement; observes that many start-ups are not sufficiently aware of the EIB's offerings; underlines that better communication and outreach efforts from the EIB are essential to ensuring that start-ups and scale-ups fully benefit from EIB instruments and financial support;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on the Commission to expand support for SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups in navigating regulatory complexity, by expanding programmes to promote legal clinics, for example in the context of Digital Innovation Hubs under the Digital Europe Programme;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Recommends to introduce English as an additional official business language in all administration related to facilitate the cross-border expansion and administrative ease of start-ups;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recommends the promotion of public-private partnerships, collaboration between start-ups and established companies, and the creation of innovation clusters to foster knowledge transfer, research and development, as well as access to new technology markets; encourages the Commission to further leverage the EIT and its thematic Knowledge and Innovation Communities in this endeavour;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Member States and the Commission, where applicable, to establish entrepreneur-friendly tax regimes, that incentives andise entrepreneurship and investment, as well as simplified administrative procedures to attract and retain talent, incentivise investment and encourage entrepreneurship;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Highlights the importance of attracting, recruiting and retaining competent staff for start-ups and scale- ups; stresses that, in times of tight EU labour markets for skilled employees, facilitating the recruitment of international talent is essential; praises, in this context, the removal of qualification and skill requirements for IT talent and the right to intra-EU mobility within the updated Blue Card Directive; believes further unification of the 27 EU labour markets and a more unified migration code, establishing much needed channels for labour migration at all skills level, will increase attractiveness of the Union for international talent;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Urges the Commission to set up the EU Talent Pool initiative as open, expression-of-interest-based model, matching European vacancies with international talent from all skill levels and all countries of origin; calls on the Commission to embed this in a wider “Make it in Europe” marketing campaign aimed at attracting international talent;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Underlines the importance of visa applications not taking longer than three months to ensure security in hiring for European start-ups; praises the introduction of single point-of-contacts for visa applications and integration administration in several larger municipalities;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)
Paragraph 16 d (new)
16d. Calls on the Commission to review the overall potential benefit of allowing for employer–sponsored visa to be fast- tracked for additional fees, as long this leads to more capacity and faster procedures for all applicants;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 e (new)
Paragraph 16 e (new)
16e. Calls on the Commission to remove the barriers to cross-border remote work as well as to cross-border work in general, such as by supporting the digitalisation of all necessary permit procedures;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recommends the establishmentrengthening of regional start-up ecosystems that support local entrepreneurship,bring together local universities, entrepreneurs, companies and public sector entities, including via innovation hubs and incubators, andto leverage each region’s strengths and resources; calls on the Commission to better coordinate between place-based innovation policy and excellence-driven innovation policy at Union level;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Encourages the Commission to consider further measures to open up government and public sector data sets and encourage the public use of open source software, enabling real-time data insights that empower better decision-making and drive innovation for start-ups and scale-ups;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls on the Commission to take advantage of the recently adopted Data Act and Data Governance Act to foster a European-led ecosystem of market places for non-personal data; suggests to develop frameworks to harmonise the treatment of data sets as assets in financial accounting and reporting;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Urges the Commission to consider additional measures to ensure that start-ups and scale-ups are able to access and use data for research and to apply AI technologyalgorithms to solve day-to-day challenges, and that they benefit from the widest possible range of public and private data sets;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Implornvites the Commission to develop and adoptconsider a ‘Start-up Test’, along the same lines as the SME Test that it adopted in 2021, in order to better assess the potential impact of Union legislation focusing on innovation, financing and competitiveness; underlines the importance of legal clarity in regulatory texts, as well as mechanisms to limit compliance costs for start-ups and scale ups;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Urges the Commission to include thebetter consider the specific concerns and challenges of start-up and scale-up sectorcompanies in the consultation procedures for new legislative initiatives in order to ensure that the proposed measures are relevant to their needs, enable growth and are necessary to promote innovation in the EU and boost the EU’s industrial and technological competitiveness;