71% of European startups named regulatory obstacles or administrative burden as their biggest challenge.

Omissions

• The figure comes from a single EESC study, not from Eurostat or another primary statistical agency. The study's methodology, sample size, and exact survey question wording are not specified in the available sources.
• The 71% figure applies specifically to startups; for the broader SME population the figure is 64%, which the speaker correctly distinguished by specifying 'startup-yritysten osalta'.
• No exact publication date for the EESC article could be determined from the available search results, though it is referenced in parliamentary documents as the '2025 EESC study'.

Sources

• SecondaryEuropean Economic and Social Committee (EESC)Sixty-four percent of SMEs point to administrative and regulatory burdens as their main obstacle, rising to 71% among start-ups.
• SecondaryAustrian Parliament (Parlament Österreich)startups experiencing some challenge is higher than for average SMEs in the EU, e.g. for regulatory obstacles or administrative burdens (71...
• SecondaryDanish Parliament (Folketinget)According to the 2025 EESC study, 75% of companies expanding to a second Member State reported they had to hire external legal counsel...