One in Three European Founders Considered Moving Firms Abroad

One in three European founders surveyed had considered moving their company outside the region in the previous 12 months, highlighting a tension between relocation concerns and expectations for business growth. The results describe consideration, not completed moves.

The annual survey covered 750 entrepreneurs and investors working on major European challenges. Fifteen percent of founder respondents said they had seriously considered relocating. The reported period is the previous 12 months, without a specific fieldwork date.

Investor sentiment was divided: half viewed Europe as a more appealing investment destination than a year earlier, while about one in four viewed it as less appealing. Among founders, 42% said Europe had become a more attractive place to build. Those figures address investment appeal and business-building conditions, respectively.

Growth expectations were also strong: 85% of founders expected revenue to rise over the next 12 months, and three in four expected to add staff. At the same time, more than half said differences in regulations among EU member states made it harder to scale across borders. That share increased from the previous year. Founders and investors both ranked a more unified single market as the top competitiveness priority.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a faster single-market overhaul in her Sept. 16 address: “And together, by the end of next year, we can and must complete this historic overhaul of the Single Market.” The European Parliament, Council of the European Union and European Commission signed a joint roadmap on April 24. It sets an end-2027 deadline for progress across five areas, including market integration, simpler rules and lower energy prices.

The European Commission proposed EU Inc., a common corporate legal regime, on March 18. The roadmap sets an end-2026 target for agreement on that proposal. EU Inc. is a separate initiative from the single-market overhaul discussed in von der Leyen’s address.