Boosting Crowdfunding Part of European Policy
In a speech delivered in Amsterdam to the ‘Europioneers’ European Tech Entrepreneur of the Year Awards ceremony, Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission for Digital Agenda, made pointed comments pertaining to the European economic struggle,
Today Europe is in a difficult place.We’re in a bad economic crisis: we must innovate our way out.
Kroes acknowledged the solution is systemic reform. In an economy burdened by excessive regulation and policies that stifle economic growth, Kroes’ comments were a breath of fresh air. While the challenges are great and the journey long, the solutions are obvious in engendering an environment that supports entrepreneurs and facilitates innovation. Kroes acknowledged she was speaking to the choir,
Entrepreneurs are our secret ingredient. I don’t need to tell you that. Nor do you need reminding of the many problems Europeans face on their way to start-up success.
Perhaps a better audience would be the wider grouping of European leaders. Some of which frequently suggest the solutions are 
buried within government entitlements and the growing state enterprises.
Kroes has been leading an initiative which advocates for creating new businesses. Her “Startup Europe” is an attempt to build a basis for direly needed entrepreneurial initiative. Resources for start-ups in Europe have room for improvement. Too many today simply depart for the United States where perceived opportunity is better.
The Startup Europe movement is currently targeting three areas:
- Accelerators
- Venture Capital
- Crowdfunding
The initiative on European crowdfunding is to;
make existing platforms more visible, accessible, and networked; and strengthen the crowd funding on offer for web start-ups.
While it is not clear how effective these policy efforts will be – the championing of entrepreneurs must be lauded and embraced. It is starkly clear that excessive economic dirigisme exemplified by some in the European Union must be pushed into the dust bin of history.