To: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Cc: Executive Vice President Stephane Séjourné, Commissioner Michael McGrath, Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva
A Letter from Europe’s Startup Ecosystem
On behalf of European founders and innovators, Startup Disrupt joined forces with Allied For Startups, EU-INC, European Startup Network, and over 25 national startup associations and ecosystem partners to issue a unified call to action to the European Commission.
Our message is clear:
❗️The 28th Regime must be adopted as a Regulation — not a Directive.
Why This Matters
A Directive, even with good intentions, would fragment the very market it aims to unify. It would create:
- ❌ 27 national transpositions
- ❌ 27 interpretations of rules
- ❌ 27 bureaucratic bottlenecks
This is not the bold, unified vision that Europe’s founders were promised.
A Regulation, by contrast, delivers:
- âś… A single, directly applicable framework
- âś… Legal certainty across all member states
- âś… One company form, one registry, one market
This is what European startups need to scale globally from Europe — not get stuck in a maze of legal patchworks.
What Was Promised
President von der Leyen, we remember your words:
🗣️ “One single and simple set of rules all over our Union… the same in Turin, Lyon, Barcelona, or Munich.”
🗣️ “Time to break the chains” of regulatory fragmentation.
🗣️ “Europe will offer startups one framework across our Union.”
These promises gave founders hope. Turning the 28th Regime into a Directive would be a fundamental breach of that trust.
Europe at a Crossroads
The upcoming 2026 European Commission Work Programme is titled “Europe’s Independence Moment.”
But Europe’s independence and technological sovereignty are only possible if our most innovative companies are empowered to grow here — not in the US or Asia.
This is not just policy. This is infrastructure for the next generation of European innovation.
🧠The right path is clear: adopt the 28th Regime as a Regulation under Article 352 TFEU.
The Startup Ecosystem Speaks as One
This open letter is backed by a coalition of the most active startup organisations in Europe, including:
Startup Disrupt, Allied For Startups, European Startup Network, EU Inc., Adigital, AustrianStartups, Czech Founders, Czech Startup Association, Danish Entrepreneurs, Dutch Startup Association, Estonian Founders Society, Finnish Startup Community, Estech, InnovUp, Italian Tech Alliance, SAPIE, Silicon Allee, scale-ups.eu, Startup Coalition, Startup Valencia, Startup Verband, Swedish Incubators & Science Parks, and many more.
Final Word
Dear President von der Leyen,
We urge you and the College of Commissioners to seize this historic moment. The European startup ecosystem is aligned, mobilised, and ready to build.
Give us the tools — one framework, one regime — and we will build Europe’s future.
📝 Read the full letter, share it with your network, and join us in advocating for a Europe that’s truly startup-ready.
đź”— #28thRegime #StartupEurope #ScaleupEurope #InnovationPolicy #OneMarket #EUStartups
