While the 2025 version of the State of European Tech report, published annually by the Europe-based venture capital company Atomico, reveals that technology investments across the continent are on an upward trend, this year’s report, unlike previous years, not only offers a data-based analysis; It also stands out as a clear advocacy text. The report emphasizes that technology startups and investors in Europe are increasingly communicating directly with policy makers, meaning they are focusing on lobbying activities.
In the report written by Atomico Partner and Intelligence Director Tom Wehmeier, it is stated that simply explaining the current state of the industry is not enough, and that it has become inevitable to direct the future with the data obtained. In this framework, four main policy recommendations are included: “Remove Barriers”, “Finance the Future”, “Strengthen Talents” and “Support Risk Taking”.
The growing influence of the technology sector opens a new page in European politics
Founded by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström, Atomico has invested in many high-profile companies, including Klarna, DeepL, Stripe, Aiven and Supercell, one of Europe’s leading technology companies. For this reason, it is accepted that the company’s evaluations on technology policy reflect not only its own views but also the general expectations of the European technology sector.
European tech companies are now turning to lobbying not just individually but collectively, as their US counterparts have long done. Open letters addressed to European institutions, the employment of dedicated public relations experts and public calls at technology conferences are among the different reflections of this trend.
In particular, the initiative called the “28th Regime”, which aims to establish a uniform company structure throughout Europe, is one of the topics carefully discussed in the report. Currently, companies wishing to operate in Europe face 27 different national legal regimes. Atomico argues that this situation weakens competitiveness and that the new system must be implemented in the form of “regulation”. Because while directives can be interpreted in different ways by member countries, regulations are directly binding in all countries.
The fact that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen contributed to the report with the statement “The future of artificial intelligence should be shaped in Europe” also reveals what kind of attention this year’s publication received at the political level. Such a high level of participation shows that lobbying activities have become more refined and the European technology sector is now becoming influential not only economically but also politically.
Documents published on the 28th Regime by France Digitale, a French startup and investor association, show that such advocacy activities have now become commonplace in the European technology world. However, Atomico’s proposals are not just written documents; It is also conveyed to the public through video presentations and stage speeches at events such as Slush. This multi-channel approach ensures that the message reaches both the ecosystem and decision makers directly.
However, the public response to some of the suggestions still remains a question mark. Much of the European public does not see issues such as the lack of local trillion-dollar companies as a direct problem. However, weak economic growth and competitiveness indirectly affect all segments of society. Therefore, the language of expression of technology in the public sphere has to become more inclusive and convincing.
According to Alexandru Voica, Synthesia’s corporate communications and policy director, the lack of trust in the technology sector in Europe is one of the main reasons for these lobbying activities. Voica states that today, communication and policy management is no longer just a marketing-supported activity, but has become a direct risk management and reputation protection tool.