RISE Hub

EU Legislative Interests

RISE Romania is directly concerned with EU frameworks that enable Member States to stimulate private capital for innovative SMEs and startups through fiscal incentives, co-investment structures, and risk finance mechanisms. Our interest representation activities are therefore aligned with the following legislative proposals and policies: Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 (General Block Exemption Regulation – GBER), as amended – specifically the provisions on risk finance aid for SMEs and innovative enterprises. This regulation allows Member States to grant certain categories of aid, including tax relief for early-stage investment, without prior notification to the Commission. EU Guidelines on State aid to promote risk finance investments (2021–2027) – which set the framework for national schemes providing equity, quasi-equity, guarantees, and fiscal incentives to support SMEs and startups in accessing capital. These guidelines are directly relevant for the development of SEIS/EIS-inspired mechanisms in Romania. Capital Markets Union Action Plan (2020) – particularly measures aimed at improving access to finance for SMEs and strengthening secondary markets and exit routes for investors. Our initiative aligns with these objectives by encouraging early-stage equity investment and facilitating the recycling of private capital into innovation. Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021–2027) – especially its policies supporting knowledge-intensive companies (KICs), technology transfer, and the scaling of research-driven ventures. RISE Romania seeks to complement these EU-level instruments with a national fiscal incentive mechanism. European Innovation Council (EIC) and InvestEU Programme regulations – which provide blended finance, guarantees, and equity-type instruments for high-risk, high-potential SMEs. Our interest is in ensuring complementarity between EU instruments and national co-investment or tax relief schemes. SME Strategy for a Sustainable and Digital Europe (2020) – which establishes the EU’s framework for supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, and the twin digital–green transition. By stimulating early-stage investment, RISE Romania contributes directly to these objectives. European Green Deal Investment Plan (2020) and Digital Europe Programme (2021–2027) – where policy links exist between fiscal incentives for startups and the EU’s strategic priorities in sustainability and digitalisation. In addition, RISE Romania monitors EU discussions on the future of State Aid frameworks and the review of the GBER to ensure that national schemes designed to mobilise private capital for startups remain compliant and aligned with EU law. Through these targeted legislative and policy areas, RISE Romania aims to build a coherent bridge between EU innovation policy and national-level fiscal and financial instruments, ensuring that Romania can leverage EU priorities while strengthening its own startup ecosystem.

Communication Activities

RISE Hub is at an early stage of development, and our communication activities have focused on building awareness and stakeholder engagement around the need for SEIS/EIS-type fiscal mechanisms within the EU State Aid framework. So far, our activities have included: Policy dialogue and roundtables: Engagement with Romanian ministries (Innovation) and business associations, where we referenced EU State Aid frameworks, GBER provisions, and the EU SME Strategy as relevant context. Presentations and advocacy materials: Preparation of slide decks and briefing notes explaining how national SEIS/EIS-style schemes would align with EU risk finance guidelines and complement Horizon Europe and InvestEU objectives. Networking with EU-linked organisations: Early outreach to European Commission Representation in Romania and ecosystem actors who are connected to EU innovation and investment programmes. Publications and campaigns: Sharing updates through presentations at ecosystem events and digital channels highlighting Romania’s underperformance in the European Innovation Scoreboard and the potential role of EU-compatible fiscal incentives. Ecosystem events and panels: On 19 September 2025, we are holding a roundtable with ecosystem stakeholders, representatives of the public space, focused on the legislative pathway for SEIS/EIS adaptation. On 1 October 2025, RISE Romania will participate in a panel at the HowToWeb Conference in Bucharest (25 minutes) on “Angel investment frameworks – progress and working group plans for transposing SEIS from the UK to Romania”. On 2 October 2025, during the RePatriot Summit, we will join the panel “StartUp România – Inovație, Accelerare, Capital”, highlighting RISE Romania’s role in building a fertile ground for innovation and entrepreneurship. Future planned activities include: Direct engagement with European Commission services (DG COMP, DG RTD, DG GROW) to present the RISE proposal within the scope of EU State Aid and Capital Markets Union. Collaboration with EU-level networks to disseminate policy briefs and position papers demonstrating complementarity between RISE Romania and EU innovation priorities (Green Deal, Digital Europe, SME Strategy).

Interests Represented

Does not represent commercial interests

Member Of

RISE Romania actively collaborates with a range of ecosystem platforms and associations, including: • Romanian Business Leaders (RBL) – policy and entrepreneurship advocacy organisation. • RoStartup – national coalition for strengthening the startup ecosystem, also connected to European Startup Network. • TechAngels Romania – network of early-stage angel investors. • RePatriot – Global Romanian entrepreneurial network. • SeedBlink – European investment platform for technology startups. • How to Web – CEE innovation and technology conference. • ROPEA – non-profit organization, promoting the interests of the Romanian Private Equity and Venture Capital industry.

Organisation Members

RISE Romania is structured as a legislative and ecosystem initiative and does not yet have formal organisational members. Instead, it works with affiliated stakeholders who actively contribute to policy consultations and advocacy activities. These affiliated entities include: • Individual startup founders and angel investors engaged in the working group on SEIS/EIS adaptation. • Ecosystem representatives from RoStartup, RePatriot, TechAngels, and RBL. • Policy advisors and experts contributing on a voluntary basis to the drafting of legislative proposals. • Strategic advisors from the Romanian diaspora active in innovation and venture capital. Current affiliated entities include: • Romanian Business Leaders (RBL) https://www.rbls.ro/ • RoStartup https://rostartup.com/ • TechAngels Romania https://techangels.ro/ • RePatriot https://www.repatriot.ro/ • SeedBlink https://seedblink.com/ • How to Web https://www.howtoweb.co/

Additional Information

All work associated with RISE until now was completely voluntary.