Gordon Brown, the UK chancellor of the Exchequer, has put venture capital at the top of his agenda for the forthcoming European Union summit meeting in Barcelona in March.
After presenting a white paper on European economic reform before the UK Parliament on Thursday, Brown said: "The level of venture capital in Europe is low compared to the US. I urge the creation of a single financial services market and the adoption of a risk capital action plan. Europe needs to develop better links between science and industry, protect intellectual property and introduce a community-wide patent."
