Romania and 24 other European Union states have signed the Declaration on EU Startup Nations Standard, on the development of newly established companies.

It has nothing to do with the former Romanian Start-Up Nation program, launched in 2017 and 2018 by the former PSD governments. Indeed, the EU Startup Nations Standard also recommends sustained funding from public funds for young companies, but the European declaration refers to venture capital investment funds, not non-reimbursable funds, such as provided for the old Romanian Start-Up Nation program.

Thus, the European declaration signed by the Romanian rulers the other day provides for financing from investment funds that stop, in exchange for money, shares in the financed companies. On the other hand, there were grants for the Romanian Start-Up Nation program, ie funds of up to 200,000 lei (about 40,000 euros) which the companies did not give back, but were obliged to make certain investments and staffing.