EU Investment Offensive: Vice-President Katainen takes investment roadshow to Italy
European Commission - Press release
Rome, 15 January 2015
European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen, responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, will undertake a 2-day visit to Italy (Rome 15th and Milan 16th January), as part of a 28-country roadshow to promote the EU Investment Plan, worth more than €300 billion. The aim is to explain the new opportunities which the Investment Plans opens up for governments, investors, businesses, as well as regional authorities, trade unions and communities.
Vice-President Katainen said: "After just 2 months in office, the European Commission has tabled concrete proposals for a European Fund for Strategic Investments, to mobilise at least €315 billion in private and public investment across the European Union. My message is clear, there is a huge opportunity for Italy to get investments flowing into parts of the economy where growth and job creation is needed most, to kick start project development and get much needed risk capital to SMEs. But to be successful, Italy must at the same time drive through the national reforms necessary to improve the investment climate. These reforms are crucial for the success of our initiative, for mobilising investment and for re-launching growth."
The roadshow starts in Rome, on Thursday 15 th January.
Vice-President Katainen will have an exchange of views on the Investment Plan with the Parliamentary Committee for Budget, Industry and Trade, Labour Committees of the Senate and of the Chamber of Deputies. The Vice President will meet with: Sandro Gozi, Undersecretary of State in charge of EU Affairs; with Pier Carlo Padoan, Minister of Economy and Finance; with Andrea Orlando, Minister of Justice; and Frederica Guidi, Minister of Economic Development. The Vice President will visit Thales Alenia Space Italia at the Tiburtina Technology Park which is designed to attract high tech companies and re-launch industrial growth. The Vice President will meet with Franco Bassanini, President of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, and have a working dinner with social partners and business associations.
The roadshow moves to Milan on Friday 16 th January:
The Vice President will meet with Assolombarda Representatives, the largest association representing entrepreneurs in Italy. He will give a lunch talk at the ISPI, the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, and then transfer to meet with university students at Bocconi University, in a question and answer session chaired by Mario Monti, President of Bocconi University.
The visit to Italy will be followed by visits to Germany 29/30 January, to Croatia and the Czech Republic 23/24 February, Spain 26/27 February and to France in March. The aim is to cover all 28 EU countries by October 2015. The Vice President will also make visits to non-EU countries to promote the Investment Plan.
In each country the roadshow programme will be tailored to address the specific investment needs of specific Member States. As well as national, regional and local authorities, the Vice President will discuss the Investment Plan with representatives from the business community, trade unions, academics and students as well as potential investors. He will also visit projects benefitting from EU financing and discuss opportunities offered by the Plan.
Background:
The Roadshow will cover the three angles of the EU Investment Plan:
(1) Mobilising Investment Finance. The aim is to provide potential investors (public and private), as well as those seeking to benefit from funding in the future, with practical information on how the new European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) will work and how to get involved.
With strong political support from Member States and the European Parliament, the new European Fund for Strategic Investments could be established in June 2015, with financing available for projects in autumn 2015. Funding could be available even earlier for SMEs as the existing European Investment Fund gets reinforced.
(2) The new Project Pipeline. A pipeline of trustworthy, viable projects will be created under the Investment Plan - screened by independent experts - which are attractive to investors. The roadshow will provide information on how interested parties, including Member States, regions or project promoters can submit projects for screening, as well as the service which will be provided by a new technical assistance hub, to ensure that projects are well structured and comply with regulatory requirements;
(3) The Regulatory reforms. The roadshow will gather political support for regulatory reforms, at EU and national level which are critical to removing barriers to investment, opening new investment opportunities (in sectors such as digital, energy and capital markets) and changing permanently the investment environment in Europe.
More information about the EU Investment Plan:
IP/15/3340
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