Not Optional – the Index Ventures-led campaign to improve stock option rules and improve conditions for employee ownership of Europe’s startups – today marks its fifth anniversary with an update to its country rankings and a call for pan-European alignment on stock option treatment. [...] Stock options are now on the EU agenda, with institutions recognising the benefit of a pan-European approach and seeking a mechanism to deliver it. Key stock options policy improvements over the past five years [...] Spain: As part of the Startup Law passed in 2023, the total amount of tax-exempt stock options employees can receive annually increased from €12,000 to €50,000, with taxation only incurred at liquidity. This significant progress makes Spain more aligned with its leading European peers. [...] Austria: At the start of 2024, the Start-up Promotion Act enabled companies of a certain size to issue stock options to employees that are only taxed at the point of sale. Unverified source (2024)