Venture Capital in Europe

Europe's future success will depend on the integration and liquidity of its venture capital market and the inventiveness and management of its hi-tech industries. But Europe's venture capital market is dwarfed by that one of the USA, and its employment performance continues to be disappointing, small and medium sized businesses find it difficult to grow. At the worst, European entrepreneurs are faced with scepticism and ignorance in the banking sector, a lack of stock options, unreasonable legal and bureaucratic obstacles, a high cost of labour, unhelpful government agencies and unsympathetic tax authorities. To stimulate a wiedr debate on these issues, the federal trust set up an eminent international study group chaired by Sir Brian Corby. The rapporteur is Harry Cowie, Senior Research Fellow of the Federal Trust. The report analyses the problems faced by European entrepreneurs, and ask how it is possible to grow global companies in Europe. The study group examined the fiscal, economic, regulatory and cultural obstacles to the development of a truly integrated European capital market. It looks at the role of The European union institutions, and at the clusters of hi-tech success in Cambridge and Munich. Venture Capital in Europe makes wide-ranging proposals to foster entrepreneurship and facilitate the provision of venture capital. The report will be read widely by corporate strategies and public policy makers and students and practitioners of European union affairs and international economics.