Beyond the ‘regulation versus innovation’ divide: the European Commission’s approach to boosting start- and scale ups in the EU

The Harvard European Law Association is pleased to host Dr. Amaryllis Verhoeven for a lunch talk on Monday, February 9, from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. in WCC 2004, moderated by Alex Pascal, Executive Director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. Dr. Amaryllis Verhoeven holds a Ph.D. in Law and Political Philosophy from the University of Leuven (Belgium), and an LL.M. of Harvard Law School. She is a senior official at the European Commission in charge of core competitiveness and single market policy. She is also a visiting lecturer at the Leuven Law School and is a regular speaker at high-level events. Before joining the Commission, Dr. Verhoeven worked as a lawyer at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in Brussels and New York.

Critics of the EU often argue that the EU only regulates, whilst the US innovates. There is indeed an innovation gap between the EU and the US, due to the fact that young entrepreneurs still struggle to expand in the EU’s complex and fragmented market. To counter this, the European Commission has launched an ambitious Start and Scale Up Strategy. The talk will focus on how that Strategy is unfolding. It will focus in particular on what is being done to create an innovation-friendly regulatory landscape for start- and scale ups. How to make the promise of the Single Market really come true? Is it a question of cutting regulation or being smarter about EU law?

Monday, February 9 2026, 12:30 to 1:15 PM.

Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Building, WCC 2004.