More Opportunities for Young People and Rural Regions

I have submitted several amendments to the draft opinion on the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy because I am convinced that the strategy can only be truly effective if it provides real opportunities for young people, rural regions, peripheral areas, and young people belonging to national and ethnic minorities. I consider it essential that rural, creative, and culturally based enterprises receive special support, as these regions often face significant demographic decline, and we must do everything possible to ensure that young people can find prospects within their communities. For this reason, I advocate simplifying authorization and application procedures, reducing bureaucracy for rural enterprises, and ensuring equal access to skills development and digital tools for young people in all regions.

Equally important is balancing investments geographically. Peripheral, less developed, mountainous, or less touristically known regions are often excluded from venture capital flows, even though they have enormous untapped potential. My amendments aim to include these regions and provide them with real opportunities. I also pay special attention to young people from national and ethnic minorities, who often cannot participate in EU innovation and startup programs due to linguistic and cultural barriers. Reducing these obstacles is essential for them to participate on equal terms in building the economy of the future.

In the debate, I emphasized that Europe must be a place where every young person feels at home, feels free, and knows they can try, fail, and try again. If we support startups and scaleups in all regions, we give young people a real chance to test their ideas in their own communities without having to move to find opportunities. I am convinced that innovation and competitiveness cannot be achieved without balanced territorial development, which is why my proposals also support stronger regional cooperation and the involvement of local stakeholders at every stage of innovation policy.

The SEDEC Committee of the European Committee of the Regions adopted the opinion on the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy today. I am confident that the amendments I have submitted will help ensure that the strategy not only enhances Europe’s global competitiveness but also provides all young people in all regions—including those in rural, mountainous, and peripheral areas—with real opportunities to start, develop, and grow their businesses where they live.