WG – Policies for Europe – Stat Up Visa

Cluj-Napoca, Romania 30 September

START-UP VISA PRESENTED BY RCDS Germany

The demographic transformation is a serious challenge which all members of the European Union are facing. The EU already offers a visa for high-educated non-EU citizens, known as Blue Card and offers high skilled non-EU citizens an EU-wide working permit. This permit is valid for three years and can be renewed after expiration. The Blue Card applicant must have a work contract or a binding job offer. The person must earn at least 1.5 times the average gross annual salary paid in the Member State, where the Blue Card holder is planning to work.

Due to these requirements, it is quite difficult for young entrepreneurs to get the aforementioned Blue Card. This is especially relevant to people without a binding job offer, like start-up founders. For this reason, it is necessary to offer another type of visa program for high skilled non-EU Citizens that particularly supports start-ups founded by non-EU-Citizens.

For instance, the Netherlands already offers such a visa program whereby young founders from non-EU-countries can apply for a one-year-visa to build up their start-up. In order for eligibility, the applicants must prove the innovative value of their idea, a financial status at a minimum of about €16,000 per year and a step-by-step business plan. However, the key is a facilitator in the member state of destination, who supports and helps to develop the founders’ idea. Similarly, another idea of start-up visa programs is the recently founded called “French Tech visa” which offers a four-year-residency permit for founders and their families, if they meet certain criteria. Unfortunately, those kinds of programs are not yet available in all EU-member states.

In addition, the European countries should promote a better business climate for founding and offer a “one-stop-shop” where the start-up visa holders and national start-ups get advice for implementing their start-up idea. In turn, this hub can act as a platform for networking between different start-up founders and local companies.

Ultimately, both the EU member states as well as the founders, benefit from the start-up visa program. EU members can oppose the lack of skilled labor EU-wide while non-EU start-up founders can operate their businesses in the European Union. Therefore, a new kind of visa must be established in every EU-member state.

We, the European Democrat Students (EDS), the official student organization of the European People’s Party (EPP), recognise that: • All Member states of the European Union are facing the challenges of the demographic transformation.

• Immigration of high skilled people is necessary for the European economy.

• Start-ups offering the European Union innovative ideas and businesses.

• Another legal immigration program, in addition to the Blue Card, is necessary.

We, the EDS, the official student organisation of the EPP, call upon European Institutions to: • Establish a start-up visa program for non-EU-Citizens.

• Promote a good business climate in each member state.

• Establish a regulatory authority to supervise the correct implementation of a criteria agreed upon by the European Council.

• Provide a “one-stop-shop” which support start-up founders by the implementation of their business ideas in each country.