Investment

With the crisis the EU has seen investment fall as a share of GDP to its lowest level in 20 years. Private investment contracted by more than 11% between 2007 and 2013. Though investment started recovering since, it has been at a very slow pace and has not yet bridged the gap from pre-crisis levels, also remaining behind the one of major competitors.

The commitment of the European Commission to prioritise investment is very important, but we need adequate follow-up in order to address barriers to investment that have been identified.

Resources must be mobilised to projects that have a positive impact on growth and employment creation, avoiding past mistakes when public investment addressed little economic demand, and subsequently remained idle or under-utilised.

In the long term we will only increase investment if we improve the EU investment climate and reduce obstacles to investment, ensuring Europe becomes an attractive place to invest in.

This is the most important piece of the investment challenge and we are eager to see effective action in this area. Removing barriers to investment means reducing unnecessary and overly expensive regulation, bringing down costs of doing business, allowing better access to finance and scrapping barriers to the single market.

Publications

Position papers Date
Taxonomy and a renewed sustainable finance strategy - BusinessEurope comments on the April package 02/06/2021
A renewed sustainable finance strategy - BusinessEurope reply to the public consultation 15/07/2020
Sustainable Finance EU Action Plan: the “Taxonomy” proposal - a BusinessEurope position paper 16/11/2018
Extending the European Fund for strategic investment 28/11/2016
Public letters Date
Industry and banking representation in the Platform on Sustainable Finance - Letter from BUSINESSEUROPE and the European Banking Federation to Valdis Dombrovskis 14/01/2020
Sustainable finance taxonomy - Letter from Markus J. Beyrer to the trialogue negotiators 02/12/2019
Sustainable finance taxonomy proposal - Letter from Alexandre Affre to Minna Kivimäki, Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland to the EU 22/07/2019
European Commission Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance - Letter from Markus J. Beyrer to Olivier Guersent 26/06/2018
Competitiveness Council meeting on 4-5 December 2014 - Investment plan, industrial competitiveness roadmap and single market development to increase growth and employment - Letter from Emma Marcegaglia and Markus J. Beyrer to Federica Guidi 01/12/2014
Press releases Date
Sustainable Europe Investment Plan should close investment gap 14/01/2020
Draft EFSI legislation a positive start - a BusinessEurope press release 13/01/2015
Reports and studies Date
Investment for growth and jobs - Improving the investment climate in Europe 26/03/2015
BusinessEurope expectations from an EU investment plan 21/11/2014

Contact

James Watson

Director
Tel:
+32 2 237 65 15
Last updated: 15 January 2019