Europe ‘well below’ rivals on innovation, says von der Leyen

Bloc must invest more and make growth easier for small companies, says Commission president

Europe is “still punching well below its weight” on its innovation, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has warned, amid the publication of reports backing up her assertion with concrete evidence.

In a speech at an event on digitisation on 4 February, von der Leyen said there are two reasons for Europe’s underperformance: “The first one, obvious, a lack of investment…And the second…concerns rules and regulations.”