On September 22, 2017, the EU Delegation to the United Nations hosted Investment Plan for Europe – A Status Update, a program sponsored by the European American Chamber of Commerce, EACC.
Speakers included Joao Vale de Almeida, Head of Delegation, EU Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambroise Fayolle, Vice President, European Investment Bank, Luca Lazzaroli, Director General & Deputy Head of Operations. European Investment Bank, EIB, Jan Ståhlberg, Vice Chairman, EQT Partners AB, Philippe Sollie, Executive Chairman, FlenHealth, James Rosener, President, European American Chamber of Commerce New York.
A very engaging panel explained what is the “Investment Plan for Europe”, the so-called “Juncker Plan”, which aims to mobilize private financing for strategic investments in the order of EUR 315bn until 2020.
In particular, the panel focused on the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), which is an initiative launched as one of three pillars by the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group and the European Commission to help overcome the investment gap in the EU.
The President of EIB, discussed how EFSI aims at boosting investment in infrastructure and innovation projects and at enhancing the availability of high-risk financing for such projects. The panel illustrated several pilot projects funding projects for small and medium enterprises (SME) .
The panel conveyed the idea that the EU Investment Plan aims at increasing financing opportunities for investment projects across Europe that are deemed sustainable, valuable for people and innovative. The role of EIB is to lend money for the approved projects, combining loans with available EU funds while providing advise on technical and financial aspects.
The Investment Plan for Europe should be careful considered by SMEs that want to bring their business to the next level.
More information on the Investment Plan for Europe: the Juncker Plan, is available at https://ec.europa.eu…
For more information on how to take advantage of EU investments opportunities, Federica Romanelli
