Implementation dialogue of Commissioner Serafin on the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)

Commissioner Piotr Serafin will host an Implementation Dialogue on the Strategic Technology for Europe Platform (STEP) on 24 March from 13:00 to 15:00.

With this first dialogue of the year, the Commissioner aims to get feedback on implementation challenges encountered by STEP and possible simplification on access to EU funding.

The summary conclusions from the Implementation Dialogue will be available on the webpage of STEP and on the Europa website dedicated to implementation dialogues.

Objective

The general objective of this dialogue is to foster a high-level discussion between Commissioner Serafin and stakeholders on the implementation of the STEP, and what can be expected for a better implementation of EU funding instruments to support EU competitiveness, now and in the future.

The discussion will explore lessons learnt thanks to the STEP initiative, including broader reflections on EU funding and competitiveness. 

Participants

Participation in this event is upon invitation only. 

Participants represent a diverse group of stakeholders: EU companies including starts-ups, European industry associations, investors, national public authorities.

Background

President von der Leyen tasked all Commissioners to organise two Implementation Dialogues per year to align implementation with realities on the ground. The implementation dialogues aim to strengthen European competitiveness by seeking feedback from stakeholders to facilitate the implementation of EU policies and the simplification of EU rules and spending programmes.

Active under the current EU long-term budget, STEP is designed to strengthen the EU’s ability to create and ramp up strategic technologies, making it more competitive globally. It seeks to boost innovation and economic growth and reduce EU’s reliance on other countries by:

• Supporting the development and manufacturing of critical technologies in the EU.
• Safeguarding and strengthening their respective value chains.
• Addressing shortages of workforce and skills.

STEP boosts EU leaders in 4 sectors: digital and deep innovation technologies, clean and resource-efficient technologies, biotechnologies, and – as from December 2025 – in defence technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and renewable energy technologies).

Discover more about STEP 

Implementation dialogues are part of the Commission's commitment to seek feedback from stakeholders for the implementation and simplification of EU policies. This is Commissioner Serafin’s first stand-alone implementation dialogue in 2026, complementing the on-going Tour d’Europe.