Dimitris Tsiodras has called for a set of measures to strengthen startups, submitting a question to the European Commission.

Specifically, ahead of the publication of the EU’s Startup Strategy, he asks the Commission how it plans to enhance access to funding and ensure the protection and strategic use of intellectual property rights, such as patents.

The MEP and spokesperson for New Democracy’s European delegation places special emphasis on startups developing cancer-fighting technologies, stressing the importance of decisive action to keep Europe at the forefront of global cancer research.

At the same time, he notes that while the number of European startups in this field is not significantly different from their American counterparts (1,027 startups in the EU versus 1,325 in the US), American companies grow at a much faster pace. As a result, 40% of them are in a more advanced development stage (compared to just 24% in the EU) and hold significantly larger patent portfolios in cutting-edge technologies such as cellular immunotherapy, gene therapy, and imaging analysis.

He concludes by citing a recent study from the European Patent Office, which found that “companies based in the US hold 82% more international patents than their EU counterparts, while startups and early-stage companies surpass those in the EU in patent portfolios by 58% and 56%, respectively.”