Brussels, Belgium, European Union (October 24, 2012) - From October 26 to 29, the presidency of YES - European COnfederation of Young Entrepreneurs will participate in a global Assembly of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance (YEA) to bolster economic renewal, job creation and innovation through youth entrepreneurship. The four-day meeting, taking place in Capri, Italy, will kick-start the development of a policy framework at the next G20 Young Entrepreneur Summit scheduled for Russia, in 2013. The Capri meetings of the G20 YEA are co-presented by Confindustria Young Entrepreneurs and the European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs (YES), under the auspices of the Cyprus presidency of the Council of the EU.

"It is an honor to host the II G20 YEA Leadership Assembly in cooperation with YES and its President Dimitris Tsigos. The Assembly is organized in conjunction with the 27th edition of the Capri National Meeting. The latter is entitled "Europe under pressure" and is focused on the integration of the European production system." said Jacopo Morelli, President of Confindustria Young Entrepreneurs, the association representing Italy at G20 YEA. “Thank to presence of G20 YEA representatives, not only we can leverage key actions identified at the G20 YEA Summit held in Mexico in June, but we will have an unparalleled opportunity to discuss about key policy issues and propose suitable corrective measures."

The G20 YEA was created to engage B20 and G20 leaders in the cause of youth entrepreneurship, share best practices across borders, affect positive policy change and create a global network of young entrepreneur advocates, while building a collaborative entrepreneurial environment worldwide. Leading entrepreneurship-focused organizations from the G20 nations will attend the Assembly— including YES – European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs, representing the European Union.

“It is a great honor and pleasure for the Young Entrepreneurs of Europe to actively support the Capri G20 YES Leadership Assembly, hosted by one of our leading members, Confindustria Young Entrepreneurs. The whole World is currently looking at Europe for an response to the global financial crisis and we are confident that the Youth of Europe will stand up, promoting a new entrepreneurial spirit to develop sustainable businesses, to massively create new, quality jobs, taking advantage of the unparalleled human and symbolic capital available in Europe”, said Dimitris Tsigos, President of YES – Europan Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs. “Last but certainly not least, we’d like to thank the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union for actively supporting our mission”.

The following key actions were identified as part of the 2012 Mexico City G20 YEA Summit held this past June and will be addressed at the Assembly and upcoming Summit in Russia:
 

• Create a continuum of traditional and innovative funding sources with incentives through all stages of business growth;

• Increase access to simplified information and integrated youth enterprise support with strong knowledge and skills infrastructure;

• Promote a collaborative environment across private and public sectors, civil society and academia that enables young entrepreneurs to start, grow, learn and have a second chance in business, within their countries and internationally; 

• Minimize regulatory and tax barriers for start-up and early-stage businesses to reduce costs and increase efficiencies, and;

• Foster a stronger youth entrepreneurship culture though promoting and teaching entrepreneurship and raising awareness.

“I completely agree with the proposals of the G20 YEA,” said Daniel Isenberg, Professor of Entrepreneurship Practice and Executive Director of the Babson Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Project (BEEP). “One important thing to keep in mind is to not rely too much on government by itself but to persuade the various representatives of the private sector, universities, and other institutions that it is in their interest to take leadership in fostering very ambitious, high growth entrepreneurship among youth, but also among all age groups. We know that high aspiration entrepreneurship is one of the most fundamental economic drivers. But government can also play a strategic role in elevating the priority of entrepreneurship and convening these stakeholders around this common objective.”

About YES European – Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs
European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs is the major association of young entrepreneurs throughout Europe representing 40.000 members and aiming to support and improve the economic and social performance of young entrepreneurship in Europe, while it has published the “YES Agenda 2010-2015” outlining the strategic importance of boosting high-growth and innovative entrepreneurship in Europe. YES is the largest dynamic network of entrepreneurs in Europe, which constantly expands its activities. Learn more at www.yes.be.

About the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance (G20 YEA): The G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance is a collective of leading entrepreneurially-minded organizations representing the G20 countries who seek to promote youth entrepreneurship as a powerful driver of economic renewal, job creation, innovation and social change. The Alliance was founded as a movement to engage the G20 leaders in the cause of youth entrepreneurship, share information across borders, affect positive policy change and create a global network of young entrepreneur advocates while building a collaborative entrepreneurial environment worldwide. Find out more at www.g20yea.com.

About the Confindustria Young Entrepreneurs Movement: The Confindustria Young Entrepreneurs Movement was formed within the framework of Confindustria as a group of individuals of 18 to 40 years of age. Its aim is to strengthen awareness of the entrepreneur’s role and to set it apart from conventional organizations set up as business associations. The group seeks to play the role of “critical conscience” within the Confindustria System, and as “innovation laboratories” with respect to civil society. It organized the first G8 Young Entrepreneurs Summit held in Stresa (Italy 2009) and is a founding member of G20 YEA. Learn more at www.giovanimprenditori.org/.

---

YES Press Office:
press@yes.be
http://twitter.com/yes_ecye