The European Commission set out five measures to build a cross-border angel investor network, including opening EIC deal flow to business angels for the first time.
POLICY SHIFT
European Commission unveils five measures to build cross-border angel investment infrastructure
At Research and Innovation Days in Brussels on 13 November, the European Commission presented five measures designed to deepen the role of business angels in EU early-stage funding.
EU Innovation Platform — a central hub giving angels direct access to EU-backed projects seeking investment.
European Angel Investor Network — extends the EIC Trusted Investor Network to business angels, connecting them to early-stage companies already vetted by the EIC.
European Angel Accreditation — a shared framework for verifying angels across member states, intended to enable governments to extend tax incentives and cross-border co-investment.
Cross-border co-investment mapping — InvestEU Advisory will map national angel ecosystems and co-investment schemes to identify gaps.
Crowdfunding linkage — a workshop to connect angels and crowdfunding communities, with possible support for cross-border angel-led fundraising.
No budget or implementation timeline was announced. EBAN, the EU angel trade body, welcomed the direction and called for a formal European co-investment scheme.
FOR FOUNDERS
EIC deal flow opens to angels; accreditation designed to fix cross-border tax friction
If your company is backed by the EIC Accelerator or Pathfinder, the European Angel Investor Network is the most direct consequence: accredited angels gain structured access to the EIC pipeline, bringing new capital from investors already comfortable with EU deep tech.
For pre-Seed and Seed companies: the European Angel Accreditation is designed to remove the legal and tax friction that keeps national angels from backing companies in other member states — a persistent structural barrier in EU early-stage markets.
No implementation dates were set at the event. EBAN is pushing for a formal European co-investment scheme as the next phase.
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