Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1534769
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 APRIL 2025 4 INTERVIEW EU Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva: 'It's not bad to fail; it's much worse not to try' THE fear to fail is a common trait across Europe and it poses a stum- bling block for young entrepre- neurs toying with the idea of creat- ing something new. The European mindset is gener- ally averse to risk and Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commis- sioner responsible for startups and R&I, wants to change this. She acknowledges the problem but insists young entrepreneurs must be encouraged and support- ed. "We need to teach our children and our youth that it is not that bad to fail; it's much worse not to try," she tells me on the fringes of the Startup Summit at the Med- iterranean Conference Centre in Valletta. She says investment in start- ups and R&I is a key plank in the bloc's quest for economic and se- curity autonomy. Zaharieva will shortly be pre- senting the European Commis- sion's scale-up strategy for start- up companies to benefit from a more uniform regulatory regime across the 27 member states. It's not just about money, she says, but also about the speed with which technology and innovative products can reach the market. The Bulgarian commissioner believes Europe is the best place to live. Her ambition at the end of her five-year term, she tells me, is for the bloc to become "the best place for investment, innovation, research and for the talented people to come here and develop their ideas". It's a tall order indeed but in her own words it is better to act now rather than wait for the right time to come. "The right time is now," she says. KURT SANSONE sits down with European Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, who is on a mission to tackle Europe's fear of failure. She speaks candidly about the cultural aversion to risk, the need to support young entrepreneurs, and her vision for Europe.