The Journalist Annika Ström Melin moderated the discussion between Magnus Henrekson, CEO of IFN, Hans Stråberg, Chairman of the Board Atlas Copco, Katarina Areskoug Mascarenhas, Head of Representation European Commission in Sweden and Mats Persson, spokesperson for Economic Politics for the Liberal Party.
Annika Ström Melin, Magnus Henrekson, Hans Stråberg, Katarina Areskoug Mascarenhas and Mats Persson. Photo: Karl Gabor.
When using hotels.com or Uber, the revenue goes to US companies. Google is taking over the advertising market, and they too pay taxes in the US. Why are none of these companies European, why don’t we have that innovation? Asked Magnus Henrekson, CEO of IFN.
Research and innovation are not enough for creating new companies. Entrepreneurship is needed to create valuable products for society, and that is something that the US and China are very good at, continued Henrekson.
The researchers propose reforms in six areas and Magnus Henrekson emphasizes that entrepreneurship is based on collaboration.
Mats Persson engaging in discussion with Katarina Areskoug Mascarenhas and Hans Stråberg. Photo: Karl Gabor.
–There are many interesting policy suggestions in the book. I think it is about a new political approach, said Mats Persson, economic policy spokesperson for the Liberal Party.
Annika Ström Melin turned to Katarina Areskoug Mascarenhas and asked if there is a new approach to entrepreneurship with the new EU Commission.
–Ursula von der Leyen talks a lot about small and medium-sized businesses, and we have to make it possible for them. Europe is quite innovative when it comes to small businesses. What we fail to do is to scale up, and that is partly due to bureaucracy and partly about venture capital.
Katarina Areskoug Mascarenhas. Photo: Karl Gabor.
Annika Ström Melin turned to Katarina Areskoug Mascarenhas and asked if there is a new approach to entrepreneurship with the new EU Commission.
–Ursula von der Leyen talks a lot about small and medium-sized businesses, and we have to make it possible for them. Europe is quite innovative when it comes to small businesses. What we fail to do is to scale up, and that is partly due to bureaucracy and partly about venture capital.
Hans Stråberg, chairman of the board of Atlas Copco, said that entrepreneurship and free activities create wealth. He called for stable and simple rules that are the same for everyone.
–The strength of the EU project is to have access to a large market with the same rules when it comes to goods and hopefully soon services as well.
Hans Stråberg argueing for the need of simple rules that are the same for everyone. Photo: Karl Gabor.
The book is a part of the project FIRES in which 46 researchers from nine European institutions have been working for three and a half years.