On 6 December 2016, the Council of the EU agreed its stance on a proposal to extend the lifespan of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the EU’s flagship initiative under its ‘investment plan for Europe’. The agreed compromise involves extending the EFSI in terms of both duration and financial capacity, mobilising at least half a trillion euros of investments by 2020. It also introduces a number of operational improvements to take account of lessons learned from the first year of implementation.
The (EFSI) is one of the three pillars of the Investment Plan for Europe and aims to overcome current market failures by mobilising private investment also for social projects. It helps to finance strategic investments in key areas such as infrastructure, research and innovation, education, renewable energy and energy efficiency as well as risk finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The fund is managed by the European Investment Bank (EIB).
More information about the Investment Plan for Europe can be found here [EN].
More information about the EFSI can be found here [EN].
For any further information, please get in touch with Florian at florian.tuder@eurodiaconia.org.