The Alliance organised a tour during Mobile World Congress for the European Internet Forum delegation (EIF) to meet with startups and Alliance members that work and operate in the EU.
The tour made it possible for Members of the European Parliament (MEP) to meet with Alliance members and hear about their business models and their goals and challenges when doing business in Europe.
The Members of the European Parliament (MEP) that participated in the tour:
- Adina-Ioana Valean MEP (EPP), Vice President of the European Parliament
- Lambert van Nistelrooij MEP (EPP)
- Roza Thun MEP, Chairwoman of the EPP Working Group on the Digital Single Market (EPP)
- Brando Benifei MEP (S&D)
- Michal Boni MEP (EPP)
And the Alliance members that presented for the MEPs:
A common priority heard from each company was user engagement and improving app performance. While the common concern was preserving data from breaches and illegal processing. Catriona Meehan, Director of EU Policy at the Alliance, interviewed each policy maker at the end of the tour to hear their thoughts and insights.
WHAT DID THEY SAY?
Adina-Ioana Valean MEP (EPP), Vice President of the European Parliament
When asked what the European Union is doing for the digital sector, Adina-Ioana Valean MEP stated, “The work of the European Parliament is very focussed on how to expand the Digital Single Market (DSM) and strengthen it by adopting consistent rules and a proper financing system.”
Lambert van Nistelrooij MEP (EPP)
Along the same lines, Lambert van Nistelrooij MEP stressed the importance of increasing European resources for financial support of startups; he said, “startups are our future.”
Brando Benifei MEP (S&D)
Brando Benifei MEP spoke about SMEs in the DSM, “We really need to complete the DSM with solutions that can especially help new startups and SMEs to focus on growth, job creation, innovation, research and development.”
Michal Boni MEP (EPP)
Michal Boni MEP emphasised the importance of mobile applications for users and also the great potential of the App Ecosystem to create jobs.
Roza Thun MEP, Chairwoman of the EPP Working Group on the Digital Single Market (EPP)
During the Alliance Mobile Apps Party, held on 23 February, Roza Thun said, “All members of the European Parliament were fascinated by what was showcased during the App Planet Tour. We got many signals of what is necessary to be changed in the European Policy, this is our duty and our challenge. I hope we will continue working together.”
At the end of the visit Catriona Meehan, Director of EU Policy for the App Developers Alliance, said:
“It is extremely important for digital companies to speak directly with EU policy makers and for entrepreneurs to have the opportunity to talk about their concrete needs and expectations when establishing their businesses and preparing to scale up. This visit was a great success for both the startups and the MEPs, as they had the chance to interact, exchange views and experience the complexity and value of the app industry.”
The EU Policy Team advocates on behalf of App Developers and works in close contact with policy makers in Brussels. In order to facilitate dialogue and raise awareness about the App Ecosystem, we regularly organise round table discussions which take place in the European Parliament.
Join our next event ‘Scaling the Sharing Economy, Voices from Across the Chain’, on 15th March from 12:30 – 14:00.
Location : European Parliament, Room ASP A1H1
For more information and registration, click here.
