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President of the European Parliament opens SiGMA Central Europe in Rome
Addressing delegates from across the technology and gaming sectors, Metsola said Europe must “make it easier, safer and faster to operate, to start up, and to scale up,” describing the continent as a “place of the future” for digital enterprise.
“It is great to open SiGMA here in Rome, the heart of Europe,” she noted, adding that the industry’s thousands of exhibitors and delegates represented the “building blocks of next-generation Europe.”
Metsola, who hails from Malta, reflected on SiGMA’s origins on the island. “I’m proud that SiGMA began in my home country,” she said, recalling her university days with SiGMA founder Eman Pulis. “It’s fantastic to see how your idea has grown from a pitch into a global platform.”
Turning to the broader landscape for Europe’s technology and gaming sectors, Metsola argued that the continent’s progress demonstrates “that our European way works — that we can be pro-business and forward-looking, open to innovation and new technology, while still protecting the most vulnerable.”
She stressed the need for balance between growth and regulation, saying it is what “makes Europe unique, gives investors predictability, builds trust with users and allows creativity to flourish.”
However, Metsola warned that regulatory fragmentation continues to hold back European competitiveness. “Regulation is essential, but remains too fragmented,” she said, citing the challenges of differing licensing regimes, operating rules and advertising standards across member states. “That has to change.”
She floated the idea of a so-called “28th regime”, a single, optional European framework for businesses that would simplify cross-border operations while respecting national sovereignty. Such a model, she suggested, could be “the leap we need to take as a continent, and as a global player.”
Metsola calls for innovation, not over-regulation
Entrepreneurs across technology, gaming and finance, she said, consistently deliver the same message: Europe must move faster and make it easier to invest. “Europe cannot run on nostalgia,” Metsola warned. “We can’t cling to old ways and expect new results.”
She called for “innovation, not over-regulation; implementation, not unnecessary bureaucracy; delivery, not red tape,” arguing that compliance should not consume the majority of businesses’ time. Regulation, she said, must be “smart – focused on those who break the rules, not those who play by them.”
“This is a moment Europe cannot afford to miss,” she continued. “We can either shape this new era of technology or watch others do it for us. We were not designed to follow.”
Highlighting the continent’s strength in digital skills, Metsola noted that Europe has more AI and technology professionals per capita than the US, and nearly three times as many as China. Yet, she said, growth is being constrained by a lack of funding and structural support.
To address this, she pointed to EU plans to mobilise €200 billion for AI and digital industries, as well as the proposed Savings and Investment Union, which aims to channel capital towards start-ups and small firms operating across borders.
“To all of you building the future of tech and digital creativity,” she concluded, “keep going. You are showing that Europe’s strength lies not in looking back, but in shaping what comes next.”
