Wed, 26 Nov
09h00 09h30 Reception & Welcome Coffee
09h30 09h35
Welcome
Arthur Jordão, Executive Director, ESNA
09h35 09h50
Keynote
Roberto Viola, Director General DG Connect
09h50-10h05
Opening Remark
Eléonore Simonet, Minister of the Middle-Class, Self-Employed and SMEs of Belgium
10h05-10h25
ESNA: the State of the Alliance
Arthur Jordão, Executive Director, ESNA
Topics:
EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy
Update on ESNA EDIC
SNS 2.0 Ministerial Declaration
10h25 10h55 Group Picture & Coffee Break
10h55-12h25
Ministerial Interventions
Chairing: Emmanuel Pieters, Chairman of the Presidency Board of ESNA and Director
General SME Policies, FPS Economy, Belgium
12h25-12h40
Closing Remarks
Option A: Ekaterina Zaharieva, EU Commissioner for Startups, R&I
Option B:
12h40-14h00 Lunch Break
KINGDOM OF BELGIUM
ELÉONORE SIMONET
MINISTER OF SMALL BUSINESSES, SELF-EMPLOYED, AND SMES
Invitation to ESNA Forum, 26th of November 2025, Brussels
Brussels, 13 June 2025
Minister Erkki Keldo
Minister of Economy and Industry
Your Excellency, Minister,
It is my great honour to extend you a formal invitation to the Europe Startup Nations Alliance
(ESNA) Annual Forum, taking place on 26 November 2025 in Brussels. The ministerial meeting
is scheduled from 09:00 to 13:00, in a central venue in Brussels.
Established in December 2021, through a ministerial declaration signed by 27 countries (26 EU
Member States), including your own, ESNA serves as the implementation body for the EU
Startup Nations Standard of Excellence and a supporting organisation for startup policy to its
member countries. Our shared mission is clear: to make Europe the best place in the world to
launch, grow, and scale a startup, while contributing to our collective competitiveness
This year’s Forum will convene high-level representatives from national governments, the
European Commission, and key ecosystem stakeholders. It will provide a valuable platform for
strategic dialogue, mutual learning, and enhanced cooperation among Member States working
to build more dynamic, interconnected, and globally competitive startup environments.
The Forum will pursue three core objectives:
1. To gather ministerial perspectives on the state and evolution of national startup
ecosystems.
RUE DUCALE 61 - 1000 BRUSSELS
[email protected]