European tech becomes political | Tech Crunch

Venture capital firm Atomico’s annual European Technology Status Report has been published, showing an upward trend in investment. But this year’s edition goes beyond the usual assessment of the technology ecosystem. It is part of an advocacy that reflects broader changes. European startups and investors are increasingly turning to lobbying.

“It’s no longer enough to show how far we’ve come; it’s also important to use those insights to chart the path forward,” said report author Tom Wehmeyer, partner and head of intelligence at Atomico. It includes four policy recommendations with the descriptive names: “Removing Friction,” “Financing the Future,” “Developing Talent,” and “Advocating Risk.”

Atomico draws on responses from a wide range of respondents to advocate these specific recommendations, but it probably has some authority to speak for more than itself. Founded in 2006 by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström, the company’s portfolio includes well-known European companies such as Aiven, DeepL, Klarna, Pipedrive, Stripe and Supercell.

Influenced by Big Tech and legacy industries, as well as by their US peers, European tech companies of this size are increasingly learning to lobby collectively at the corporate level, by hiring public relations officers, and even through open letters, which are gaining attention from European institutions.

This also explains why many of Atomico’s recommendations are in line with topics that are already much talked about both in the startup community and in Brussels policy circles. Whether it is the 28th regime proposed by advocacy group EU-INC to create a pan-European corporate structure (companies currently have to navigate 27 different national regimes), calls for deregulation or broader considerations of competitiveness, echoing the words of former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi. 2024 report.

This highest level of buy-in is clear from Atomico’s report. The 2025 edition first published European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s statement that she wants “the future of AI to be created in Europe.” This high level of attention also explains why European technology lobbying is becoming more sophisticated.

For example, regarding the system on the 28th, Atomico warns that it is very important whether it is a “regulation” or a “directive.” “This is the difference between having teeth and not having them, and the latter meaning a continuation of the status quo where rules are interpreted country by country, rather than the uniformity needed for technology companies to grow,” the company argues. (Under EU law, regulations are directly binding on all member states, but directives allow countries to implement the rules differently.)

This level of detail is not unprecedented. France Digitale, France’s start-up and investor association, published a “non-paper” about the administration on Wednesday, which was not much different from what other lobbying groups produce on other topics. Similar to the publications of ESNA (European Startup National Alliance). But Atomico’s views are also packaged as a video and stage talk at technology conference Slush, meant to reach both the tech ecosystem and policymakers.

What may be missing, paradoxically, is an awareness of the various forces that may oppose initiatives such as the EU-INC. More broadly, some recommendations may be foreign to most people. After all, few Europeans wake up in the morning and worry about the lack of new multi-trillion dollar companies in their country.

The counterargument is that society as a whole is affected by lackluster growth. But perhaps there is more a new lobbying movement from European technology companies can do to win over people’s hearts and minds. That’s one reason large startups are becoming more vocal, said Alexandru Voica, head of corporate affairs and policy at London-based AI unicorn Synthesia.

“Communication and policy are more important than they were 10 years ago because of the deep distrust of the tech industry in Europe,” Voica wrote on TechCrunch. “Ten years ago, [communications] It was believed that marketing could be lacking in order to increase product growth and brand awareness. The work we do today is focused on things like risk mitigation and reputation management. ”

European technology companies’ lobbying efforts also come with risks. If the movement becomes too closely tied to a particular political party, it could spark a backlash and undermine broader support. Still, regardless of politics, many would agree with Atomico’s central point: Europe is effectively at a crossroads.