DG Progress

🚀 🇪🇺 Welcome to DG Progress! 🇪🇺 🚀 The European Commission doesn’t yet have a Directorate-General dedicated to Europe’s economic, social, and consumer progress—so we’re filling in. DG Progress is here to help bridge the gap between Europe’s builders and our policymaking bubble. We will shed light on Europe's strengths, advocate for what its innovators need to make the next great leaps, and share ways to get involved. 📬 Subscribe here: dgprogress.eu

Two years ago, Draghi prophesised the EU's "slow agony" if it didn't pivot towards competitiveness – how have we responded since? Institut Montaigne just released an unprecedented, data-driven checkup on the Draghi Report’s 567 recommendations 📊 ✅ The good news? Europe is broadly on track with the initial timeline, successfully pushing through many of the Commission-led actions. Overall, the Commission's "implementation rate" scores 30%. ❌ The bad news? Europe's structural Innovation Gap is one of the primary drivers of its declining economic performance. The implementation rate for recommendations under this theme is just 22% – almost half of recommendations have not yet even seen a proposal. 😕 The ugly? The "most transformative" proposal to deepen the single market is EU Inc, but it's currently mired by a lack of ambition, and flaws that prevent it from being a true competitor to the US Delaware model. It's crucial that policymakers do not water down the initial proposal, and deliver a bold initiative that startups with actually use. Read the Institut Montaigne's full analysis here: institutmontaigne.org/publications/r…

🚀 Myth vs. Reality: The AI "Job Apocalypse" (that wasn't) If you've been listening to the AI-doomers, you’d think the labour market was collapsing. Well, Australia’s government just released a first-of-its-kind report that proves otherwise. The bottom line? Artificial intelligence is not causing broad disruption to the labour market. Here is what the data actually shows: No mass layoffs: There is no evidence of large-scale AI-driven job loss. Youth resilience: Employment for young people and graduates—often painted as the most at-risk—has held up well. Tech is growing: Software developer roles have surged by 25% since late 2022, debunking the idea that AI stops hiring in the very sector where the early use cases are the most obvious While some routine roles are seeing slower growth, the overall picture is one of resilience, not displacement. It’s time to stop the alarmism and get serious about the real opportunity: boosting productivity and building the next generation of tech. Europe needs to focus on harnessing this potential, not building walls around it. Read the full report: ministers.dewr.gov.au/rishworth/aust… #DGProgress #EuropeTech #AI #FutureOfWork

Europe is on the brink of a massive entrepreneurial breakthrough. 🚀 We are witnessing a "second great compression of entrepreneurship." By deploying coordinated systems of AI agents that can plan, act, and adapt autonomously, small teams are suddenly building products and disrupting markets at speeds and price points that were previously impossible. For European entrepreneurs, this is the ultimate equalizer. It’s a chance to compete globally and break the dominance of slow-moving incumbents. But here’s the catch: the tools are ready, and the talent is here. The only thing that could kill this momentum before it starts? Unnecessary regulatory red tape. If we want to foster the next generation of global tech giants, we need to focus on enabling innovation, not strangling it with bureaucracy. 🇪🇺 Let’s clear the path for the best new AI tools to thrive right here in Europe. Dive into the research on the new entrepreneurial operating model: hbr.org/2026/07/how-ag… #AgenticAI #Innovation #Europe #TechPolicy #DGProgress

⚛️ Who said Europe can't build the clean energy infrastructure of the future? 🇩🇪 Munich's Proxima Fusion just closed a €411 million funding round, backed by Google, and the homegrown European chamber is now valued at to €2.4 billion. 🦄 “Europe is racing with the United States and China to get to the first fusion power plant,” according to Proxima's CEO, Francesco Sciortino, “Investors recognise both the urgency and the opportunity of what we're doing and are backing us to develop a generational energy technology company.” Data centres are driving massive new energy demands. Promixa is proof that Europe need not sacrifice its green ambitions to be an AI leader. sifted.eu/articles/googl…

Europe's brain gain? 🇺🇸 —> 🇪🇺 ? Data from Atomico's State of European Tech finds that 🇫🇷 Mistral hired 39% of its technical staff from US Big Tech. For every senior researcher Mistral loses to a US lab, it pulls in roughly nine the other way. This influx of talent is happening even while US tech giants are offering eye-watering seven-to-nine-figure annual packages. The European way of life continues to attract top tech talent 📈

Is the AI Jobpocalypse Panic finally over? New data reveals that companies making the largest investments in AI aren’t shrinking their payrolls; they’re expanding them. High-intensity AI adopters saw entry-level headcount grow by 12% following adoption. It turns out that when you invest in tools that help people do more, you need more workers not fewer. All the more reason for Europe to lead the AI adoption charge, and embrace rather than fear innovation 🚀 Read the full analysis here: econlab.substack.com/p/we-can-final…

You might not have heard of Bending Spoons until last week. But you will have heard of one of the 50 digital businesses it owns, including AOL, Eventbrite, Vimeo, Evernote, and WeTransfer. Over 500 million active users, and counting. 🇮🇹 The Milan-based tech conglomerate just went public on the Nasdaq in an $18.4 billion listing, and it's value has already ballooned to $23 billion. Unlike traditional private equity, they buy struggling companies with a "core of greatness" and rebuild them for long-term earnings, rather than flipping them for a quick sale. The lesson for Europe? We don't need to emulate Silicon Valley to win big 🇪🇺 ft.com/content/040aac…

There's no shortage of stories of pending AI doom (which never seems to arrive). How about all the good AI is doing? 🇫🇷 Look no further than French startup, Alan. Its digital health app uses AI to simplify healthcare access with faster consultations, clearer insurance protection, and more proactive support. It already has 1.1 million members and just secured a massive €480 million funding round, pushing its valuation to ~€5.5 billion. 💪 While doom-scrollers worry about artificial intelligence taking over the world, European founders are busy using it for good. More of this. 🚀 tech.eu/2026/06/25/fre…

"The challenge facing Europe is no longer whether we can innovate, it’s whether we can scale." 📈 🇩🇪 A familiar message from STARK's founder, Uwe Horstmann... The good news? With thanks to a €500 funding round that included Sequoia, Founders Fund, and the NATO Innovation Fund, the 2024-born start up is already valued over €3.5 billion 🤯 Even better news? Over 80% of this fresh capital is going straight into expanding manufacturing and R&D right here in Europe. 💶 tech.eu/2026/06/23/sta…

Is there a better way to build sovereignty than Constellation Europe? 🌌 🇫🇮 ICEYE's CEO Rafal Modrzewski is pushing for a 1,000-satellite constellation to catch up with the US. ICEYE alone is ramping up its production to a 100 radar satellites per year by late 2027 to meet surging demand from European governments, and new funding has rocketed its valuation past €10 billion 🦄 We've had several wake up calls in the past 4 years. Its high time we build world-class satellites right here in Europe 🚀 defensenews.com/global/europe/…

🚀 Who said Europe doesn’t know how to scale? 🤫 Our deeptech ecosystem just quietly broke the scoreboard. According to fresh data from Sifted, European deeptech investment just hit an annual record. In H1 2026 alone, our startups and scaleups have enjoyed a funding bonanza, including a staggering eight European companies raising $1bn+ rounds so far this year. 🦄📈 It’s time for Europe to double down on the deeptech champions building the European tech sovereignty of the future.

🇪🇺 The "Fable" of European Tech Sovereignty? Or the wake-up call we needed? When US export controls abruptly pulled the plug on Anthropic’s Fable 5 AI model for non-US users last month, it sent shockwaves through our startup ecosystem. Our favourite continental pastime is to blame Brussels and EU regulation for everything. But, Alfonso Fuggetta says, the real culprit behind Europe's tech delay isn't just policy—it's own chronic allergy to risk 📉 ✅ We have world-class AI talent and leading research hubs, and formidable homegrown champions ❌ We lack the bold, unapologetic capital to back them up before they cross the Atlantic. We must stop playing it safe and start investing in our own builders with the financial conviction they deserve. 🚀💶 abassavoce.it/p/il-caso-fabl…

🚀 Big EuroTech energy in Brussels. Some of Europe’s heavy hitters, including ASML, Airbus, SAP, and Siemens, just sat down with EC President Ursula von der Leyen to make a clear point: The ambition for European competitiveness is there, but now we need the strategy to match it. Europe isn't at the mercy of industrial change, we are the ones driving it. With over €40 billion in annual R&D investment and 213,000+ patents, the foundation is there. But value continues to leak out of the continent. The message from the "European Tech Creators", as the group is known, is simple: replace the red tape with innovation-friendly guardrails, unlock private risk capital, and focus on demand-led industrial scaling. It’s time to scale. 📈 linkedin.com/posts/christop…

Check out DG Progress' Patrick Grady outlining how GDPR failed Europe's digital transformation, and is still holding its AI back... progresschamber.org/insights/europ…

🇪🇺 Everyone keeps blaming the AI Act for Europe missing out on many frontier models take. But it turns out, it's GDPR. 🧐 New research from the Centre for the Governance of AI examined 375 frontier LLMs and found that, during the period studied, GDPR was the primary regulatory barrier causing launch delays or complete non-releases in the EU. 11% of models were delayed or never reached the European market (compared to 7% in the UK). The takeaway? Rigid digital rules can have significant, unintended consequences as technology evolves. We know Europe has the world-class talent to lead the AI revolution. Let's keep pushing for a simpler, more competitive Europe that welcomes innovation with open arms. 🚀 governance.ai/research-paper…

"To get sovereignty, you need innovation first". 🇪🇺 ASML, Europe's largest company, has the clear message for Brussels: create the right conditions for innovation to happen in Europe. "You will never have the entire ecosystems... but you need at least to have enough skin in the game," says CEO Christophe Fouquet. To take competitiveness seriously, Europe must listen to its industrialists who have been there and done that. That's why European CEOs are joining forces under the banner of European Tech Creators nokia.com/newsroom/europ…

The verdict is in: pro-startup policies are actually driving real results! 🚀 The first-ever European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard reveals that since 2020, 20 out of 27 EU Member States have successfully levelled up their ecosystems. That is clear proof that when we support founders, we fuel innovation and economic growth. We still have work to do. High-growth companies are still hitting the "scaling ceiling" due to fragmented regulations and limited access to later-stage capital. The good news? The momentum is finally shifting. With the push for the EU Inc and a genuine Capital Markets Union, we are moving to simplify the landscape. It’s time to Choose Europe. Let’s make our continent the undisputed, powerhouse home for tech. 🇪🇺

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⚛️ Germany, it’s time for a power-up! A new report from the Radiant Energy Group (radiantenergygroup.com/_files/ugd/ae7…) lays out the path toward energy abundance 🇩🇪🚀 Restarting nuclear energy in Germany is not just a climate imperative, but an engine for downstream industrial growth. When we unlock true energy abundance, we unlock everything else: ⚡ AI scaling and the massive data centre capacity. ⚡ Industrial resilience in an increasingly volatile world. ⚡ A decarbonised grid that powers a modern economy. Abundant, reliable power is the bedrock of civilization. It’s time to stop debating 20th-century politics and start building a 21st-century power grid. 🇪🇺

🇪🇺 How do you turn Europe's academics into entrepreneurs? Lower the equity stake universities take in their spinouts. Why? "Better terms means academics are more likely to jump into entrepreneurship, investors build conviction based on a more investable cap table, companies can execute faster into commercialisation and there's generally better alignment between all stakeholders." That's according to Atomico's Tom Wehmeier in the latest State of European Tech newsletter: linkedin.com/posts/thomaswe… Dealroom's research shows the average stake in UK university spin outs has halved from 31% in 2015 to 16% in 2025. No coincidence, then, that 4 of Europe's top 6 universities for creating spin outs are now from the UK. Since 2020, UK university spin outs tripled in value (raeng.org.uk/news/spotlight…) from to nearly 50 billion, birthing Unicorns such as Synthesia (UCL), Nyobolt (Cambridge), Nanopore (Oxford). Still some way to go, in the UK and the rest of Europe, but positive signals 📈