Governments seeking to empower entrepreneurs often find themselves developing and implementing a complex range of reforms, policies and programs, while also seeking to change cultural perceptions, nurture ecosystems, attract investment, and more. Without an overarching strategy and unifying vision, it is easy for governments to jump from initiative to initiative, and policy to policy, without a clear understanding of how they fit together and work towards a common goal of making their country more entrepreneurial.
Spain is the latest of several countries that has sought to avoid this challenge by launching a ten year ‘Spain: Entrepreneurial Nation’ strategy, along with a wide-ranging Startup Act. The strategy is being driven by Francisco Polo, a new High Commissioner within the Presidency, who is able to work across the government to drive the national mission.
Launched by the president (the official title of the prime minister) in February 2021, the strategy, which comprises 50 measures, is a long-term vision for transforming the productive bases of the Spanish economy.
On innovative entrepreneurship, the strategy aims to achieve four major goals: accelerating investment growth; attracting, retaining and developing talent; increasing scaleability of Spanish companies; and making the public sector more entrepreneurial allowing it to provide simple, fast, efficient support for entrepreneurs.
The strategy then aims to use innovative entrepreneurship to create virtuous circles with the country’s existing major industry sectors, driving innovation and growth in the country’s ten major sectors that represent 60% of GDP: industry, tourism and culture, mobility, health, construction and raw materials, energy and environmental transition, banking and finance, digitalization and telecommunications, agro-industry, and biotechnology.
Finally, the strategy focuses on inclusive economic development, seeking to close gender gaps, the socio-economic gap, the territorial gap, and the generational gap.
Similar to the Nigerian Startup Act, the strategy is coordinated through four governing bodies:
- The Government Executive Committee for Economic Affairs - that studies economic policy guidelines and coordinates with ministries to ensure coherant policymaking.
- Working Group for spain Entrepreneurial Nation - an inter-ministerial technical forum ensuring the development and implementation of the strategy.
- Sectoral Conference for Industry and SMEs - a historical body that coordinates between central government and its Autonomous Communities.
- Advisory Board - a 50-strong new body comprising entrepreneurship ecosystem experts providing input and guidance to the High Commissioner.
The 50 proposed measures are wide-ranging and include: launching the National Office for Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur and digital nomad visas, public procurement reforms, open public data, a national plan for social entrepreneurship, stock options, alternative markets, knowledge transfer, open innovation, regulatory sandboxes, enterprise education, lifelong learning and senior talent.
The strategy takes inspiration from the Startup Nations Standard, a set of practices put together by the European Commission in collaboration with the EU member states and the wider European startup community. Spain Entrepreneurial Nation has received extensive support and praise from European policymakers and the wider entrepreneurial community.
In the strategy’s foreword, the President notes, “If anything defines a country, it is the planning of its future projects and the transformation it undertakes to make these outcomes possible.” This Entrepreneurial Nation strategy provides a clear, positive, achievable, and inspirational example of future planning that, rightly, is attracting the attention of governments world-over.