DG Progress

Tech-optimism from the heart of Europe. Bridging EU policymaking with Europe's tech entrepreneurs. By @KayJebelli and @patrickgrady_

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

🚀 🇪🇺 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: https://t.co/6QttDOt0Wv

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

https://t.co/mtsuKAxKpS

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

Martin Scorsese – yes, that Martin Scorsese! – has become a partner at one of Europe's leading AI startups, Black Forest Labs 🇩🇪

💬 "There’s always been this problem of, how do you communicate what you see in your head to your cast and crew? There are some things you have to see and feel... "

💬 "... with this tool, I can share what I’m visualizing more clearly and efficiently to my creative team—the production designer, art designer, and cinematographer."

Scorsese has departed from Hollywood's pessimistic view of technology, and chosen to work with a European AI lab 🇪🇺 🚀

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

Europe has the capability to build tech champions. The challenge is creating the conditions that let more companies scale 🚀

Read more about the recipe for success here:

https://t.co/BPncQracOH

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

💬 "Despite the gloom about its place in the digital economy, Europe has produced tech leaders. Their experience should inform Europe’s policies to support competitiveness, innovation and entrepreneurship."

New piece by the Centre for European Reform takes the unpopular position: lets not criticise Europe's tech sector, but learn from it. 🧵

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

Lesson 3: R&D is vital

🌍 Europe’s tech champions like ASML succeeded through decades of public‑private R&D partnerships across the EU and beyond.

🇪🇺 State support, research institutions, and private capital are essential. The EU should boost R&D funding, and use tax incentives and high‑tech sector support to help the bloc reach its 3% R&D target.

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

We wrote about the Europe's failed data economy – and what changes like this can do to save it 🚀 https://t.co/92ZuTs1rb9

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

💥 Another win for European competitiveness!

As reported by POLITICO today, the EU is now proposing to affirm that AI companies can process data, using GDPR's 'legitimate interest' basis, to train their models.

🇪🇺 The uncertainty over whether companies can train on personal data is the why so many AI products and services arrived late to Europe – or not at all. Some countries (looking at you, Italy!) banned AI models as early as 2023, while others fast-tracked adoption. We suffered almost three years of uncertainty, slow adoption, and damaged trust in AI since.

Thankfully, the EU is now putting this right 🙏

(Story by Ellen O'Regan https://t.co/zpm4jb4RzG)

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

We suggested this amendment, and others, in this article about the EU's efforts to get rid of cookies https://t.co/lIxXrEMcKR

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

🍪 The cookie crumbles!

The EU is looking to reduce the number of cookie banners users in Europe face online.

These banners aren't working for businesses (who don't want their customers to face hurdles) or users (who find them annoying and often mindlessly click through).

🇪🇺 The Commission has now proposed removing the need for banners for instances where privacy risks are now and where user consent is unnecessary. That's according to today's reporting by Euractiv.

The EU's ongoing efforts to simplify the digital rulebook are key for Europe's competitiveness 📈

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

💬 “We didn’t start running, we didn’t start even walking, and we already had in front of us all the obstacles to not be able to make even the first step.”

Strong words from Christophe Fouquet, the boss of ASML, Europe's largest company, in an interview with POLITICO.

🔹 Fouquet said the EU's AI Act could encourage European companies to develop AI outside the bloc "If they cannot do it hear, they will do it elsewhere".

🔹 But what about the Commission's simplification push? “The idea that you make something very complex, then simplify it, and that you end up with something good … is a bit strange." Lesson here: don't make regulation complex in the first place.

🔹 Should governments favour European companies in public procurement? Probably not. "No country will ever have it all... to have preference, you first have to have something you can prefer.”

The solution? Create the conditions that create AI demand, and leave it to the industrial sector to respond and build out infrastructure ("because they know how to do it"). Let industry cook! 🚀

https://t.co/Nt9gP0xqaI

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

🛣️ On 3 June, the EU will publish its Tech Sovereignty Package, a strategy to build sovereign AI, chips, and cloud.

🇪🇺 Europe's startups need the best tools available to build and compete globally, so we hope the Commission takes inspiration from the UK (Europe's leading tech & AI hub).

James Wise - who chairs the UK's Sovereign AI Unit - outlines the UK's approach to sovereignty, and makes the case to look outward not inward to build AI capacity:

💬 "It would be incredibly short-sighted to say Brits shouldn't have access to the best software because we don't like some of the shareholders on the cap table of these companies."

Check out the full conversation with the FT's John Thornhill for Sifted's Startup Europe podcast 👇

https://t.co/jdHbEkBAxW

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

🌉 We spoke with Tom Wehmeier, Partner and Head of Intelligence at Atomico, a European venture capital firm that produces annual State of European Tech reports, about Europe's tech ecosystem.

❓𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 11 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞? 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧?

🎤 "Eleven years ago, a billion-dollar European tech company was exceptional. Today, we’re tracking a path toward trillion-dollar outcomes. That shift in the ceiling is reflected throughout the ecosystem — in the scale of entrepreneurial ambition, the calibre of talent willing to commit, the conviction of capital behind it..."

❓𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞. 𝐈𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐬?

🎤 "I’d start with the friction we still see in the system. Nearly 70% of founders say the regulatory environment is too restrictive. Europe must make it easier and faster to build, grow and sell across borders, at scale. One rulebook, one market, one standard. The upcoming EU-INC proposal is one important step in this direction, but the true prize remains delivering a true single market..."

❓𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬? 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦?

🎤 "Fortunately, I see this gap as narrower than it’s ever been. There’s genuine alignment now on the problem statement — what’s required to make Europe the best place to start and scale entrepreneurial innovation. More policymakers get what needs fixing..."

Read the full interview here 👉 https://t.co/fzUz2UGTTL

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

https://t.co/Laer433meT

👏 Congratulations to Mario Draghi for receiving the 2026 Charlemagne Prize 🇪🇺

The prize awards work done in the service of European unity. "Super Mario" has been Europe's chief advocate for competitiveness, including through his influential report, and the guru continues to push EU leaders towards action 🚀

At last weeks ceremony, Draghi warned that Europe risks falling behind without further deeper integration and major investment.

💬 "Our task now is to create that same dynamic again in energy, technology and defence. European leaders know where the work lies. They must now decide whether they are willing to put substance before process, and choose the instruments that can achieve it."

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

🌈 🇪🇺 🇧🇪 Happy Brussels Pride! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️✨

Today, as Brussels celebrates Pride, we're taking a moment to recognise the LGBTQIA+ community’s incredible contributions to technology. From pioneers like Alan Turing, Lynn Conway and Sophie Wilson, to today’s leaders like Tim Cook and Sam Altman, queer innovators have helped shape computing, chip design, AI, product leadership and the digital world we use every day. 💻🚀

Tech has not always been perfect — far from it — but at its best, it has opened doors for people who were excluded from more traditional paths. Online learning, remote work, creative tools and digital platforms have helped underrepresented people build, connect, learn, lead and be seen. 🌍

For LGBTQIA+ people especially, technology has helped create spaces for community, safety, self-expression, mutual support and visibility — from finding chosen family online to building tools that help people organise, advocate and thrive. 💬🤝📱

Pride is a celebration, but it’s also a reminder: the world is a better place when more people can show up fully, safely and proudly. Here’s to visibility, inclusion, and building a future where everyone belongs. 🌈✨

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

✉️May’s edition of DG Progress is live!

In this edition:

🏗️ European robots are on the move

⛽ Negotiations over the AI Act come to a close

🌉 Atomico’s Tom Wehmeier on Europe’s tech ecosystem

🛣️ Brussels awaits the Tech Sovereignty Package

🪟The European Commission wins meme of the month!

https://t.co/A7LjQhXj1I

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

🇪🇺 European champs Mistral AI, Airbus, ASML, Ericsson, Nokia, SAP, and Siemens published last week a letter the EU to get serious about backing them.

What do they want?

🤝 Industry leaders and policymakers consulting as one

🚀 Unlocking innovation through coordinated execution

⏱️ Systems that can act within the window where decisions still matter

The debate in Europe is shifting from regulation to execution. Now it's up to the EU to speed things up 🚀

https://t.co/Kw881igjQs

[DG Progress @DGProgress]

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[European Commission @EU_Commission]

The battle of narratives is going strong.

Our countries are a recurring target.

It is time to act to tell the stories that make us strong. Let’s live our own story!

Protect what matters - our democracy.