Global Business Briefing with MEP Damian Boeselager
As Europe advances sweeping reforms to strengthen its industrial competitiveness and digital sovereignty, policymakers in Brussels are rethinking how to foster innovation while remaining open to global investment. On Wednesday , October 29, 2025, the Meridian Corporate Council hosted Damian Boeselager, Member of the European Parliament and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, for a roundtable discussion on Europe’s evolving innovation and industrial policy landscape. The group explored how the European Parliament’s new frameworks aim to accelerate startup growth, harmonize regulations across the bloc, and build stronger transatlantic partnerships for innovation and investment.
Here Were the Top Takeaways from the Program:
1. From Fragmentation to a European “Delaware”
One of Europe’s biggest competitive hurdles lies in its fragmented legal and corporate landscape. Unlike the United States, where Delaware’s streamlined incorporation model enables companies to operate seamlessly across state lines, the EU still faces barriers created by national regulatory variations. To address this, policymakers are examining how to establish a harmonized European framework that supports cross-border entrepreneurship, faster incorporation, and more predictable business operations—especially for startups looking to scale across the continent.
2. A Unified European Competitiveness Fund
At the core of the new industrial strategy is the proposed European Competitiveness Fund, which will consolidate programs like InvestEU and Digital Europe into a single, €300 billion vehicle for innovation-driven growth. This initiative aims to simplify access to funding while ensuring it supports productivity, green transitions, and digital transformation. The goal is to channel resources into high-impact sectors without distorting markets or concentrating benefits among large corporations—a challenge he believes Europe must solve to remain globally competitive.
3. Innovation Without Distortion
Europe’s innovation agenda hinges on finding the right balance between public investment and market fairness. The challenge is ensuring that funds meant to accelerate breakthrough technologies actually reach startups and small enterprises—not just established industry giants. Effective innovation policy must fuel experimentation, reward entrepreneurship, and cut through bureaucratic barriers that slow progress. As new funding mechanisms take shape, the focus is shifting toward models that drive equitable growth and create the conditions for next-generation innovators to thrive across the continent.
4. Regulatory Harmonization as a Growth Engine
A unified approach to regulation is emerging as a cornerstone of Europe’s competitiveness strategy. Fragmented rules around data governance, intellectual property, and financial technology have long slowed innovation and deterred cross-border investment. Efforts to streamline and align these frameworks across member states are designed to reduce uncertainty, strengthen market access, and position Europe as a more agile and attractive partner for global collaboration. Greater legal clarity and consistency will be essential to unlocking investment at scale.
5. Building Transatlantic Innovation Pipelines
Strengthening transatlantic collaboration remains critical to advancing shared goals in technology, research, and industrial policy. As Europe modernizes its innovation framework, there is growing momentum to align investment incentives, regulatory standards, and innovation priorities with partners across the Atlantic. Sustained dialogue and strategic cooperation can help ensure that emerging policies on both sides foster complementary growth rather than divergence—building a transatlantic innovation corridor that drives economic resilience and shared prosperity.
Project summary
| Global Business Briefing with MEP Damian Boeselager | October 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Impact Areas: | Business and Trade |
| Program Areas: | Corporate Diplomacy |
