Slovenia, France and the Czech Republic will be joining ESNA – Europe Startup Nations Alliance, based in Lisbon, according to the announcement made following the ESNA Ministerial Forum, which brought together at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona (Spain), representatives of 14 member states and the European Commission.
The three new members will join the founders – Portugal, Spain and Austria- the three new members have already formalised their joining process, and it is expected that this will be completed at the first General Meeting, to be held at the end of April.
The Secretary of State for Digital Transition André de Aragão Azevedo claims that “a year ago, we were discussing the idea of setting up a European structure to implement the goals of the Startup Nations Standards declaration and now this is a reality”.
“ESNA was officially set up and is taking its first steps towards fulfilling the end goal of turning Europe into a true “startup continent”, he added.
During the ESNA Ministerial Forum on 1 March, the structure’s implementation process was assessed, as well as the first plan of action for 2022.
Two of the eight ESNA basic standards included in the Startup Nations Standards were analysed: Attracting Talent and Access to Funding, and the crucial role ESNA can play in the development of initiatives in these fields.
For Carme Artigas, Spanish Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, “ESNA came about to turn the European Union into an excellent destination for technological entrepreneurship. The national initiatives are on the right track, but we need to coordinate our efforts to meet the European ambition of doubling the number of unicorns, for economic and social progress. I am pleased that France, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic have joined and encourage the remaining member states to continue to join”.
According to the Austrian Director-General for Economic Affairs, Florian Fauscher, “ESNA’s goal is to create the best possible conditions for a startup framework in Europe. This works better when the member states’ initiatives and the European Union’s projects are consolidated- We are pleased with ESNA’s collaboration in the important areas of venture capital and attracting talent”.
