Ursula von der Leyen, incoming president of the European Commission, left, speaks during news conference at the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday, July 16, 2019.

European tech industry groups are stepping up their lobbying efforts to ensure the EU supports start-ups hit hard by the coronavirus crisis.

In a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a coalition of start-up communities called for the bloc's chief to "give startups a central role in your solutions to the COVID-19 outbreak."

The group, led by Brussels-based Allied for Startups, warns of the impact a coming economic downturn will have on the continent's once fast-growing tech sector. The pandemic has forced many start-ups to reconsider their business model and cut costs as sales start to dry up.

"As with preceding disasters, this crisis is also an opportunity," the industry leaders said in the letter. "In the first instance it is an opportunity for better cooperation and coordination between nations."

"Beyond that, it is also an opportunity for innovation. When looking for solutions to combat and resolve the COVID-19 outbreak, but also when looking at where growth opportunities are coming from after the economic downturn, startups are the key actors in both equations."