On the occasion of its second public event in Brussels, the Swiss Finance Council (SFC) presents its new Discussion Paper entitled ‘The EU and its Partners: Attracting International Investors’.
Although the EU and its Member States have made significant progress since the financial crisis in stabilising the Monetary Union and launching the Banking Union, slow growth and weak investments are insufficient to have a material impact on job creation. Global surveys show that the EU has slipped in international competitiveness.
The Discussion Paper examines how international investors can contribute to the economic recovery in Europe.
The Paper presents three case studies which detail the motivations and requirements of international investors, be they corporate, private or institutional investors. Based on the findings from these case studies, the Discussion Paper suggests ideas on how to stimulate international investments and support the EU’s efforts towards the creation of a Capital Markets Union (CMU).
Commenting on the Paper, Alexis Lautenberg, Chairman of the SFC, said:
International investors would help develop the CMU’s full potential provided key existing obstacles were removed. Our Paper develops a number of regulatory recommendations to achieve this. We encourage the EU to embrace the international dimension in its policy-making, and to communicate its openness to investment from the outside world’.
Commenting on the case studies, Judith Hardt, Managing Director:
‘Private investment is a hugely important source of funding, particularly for Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A survey conducted in the context of our Paper shows for instance that Swiss SMEs are very interested in investing in the EU. Interestingly, 20% also consider that a common capital market in Europe would be an important step going forward. Our survey shows that the EU could do more to remove red tape and to allow private investors to participate in the capital market union.
The SFC hopes that the Discussion Paper is a useful contribution to the current debate on how to stimulate growth and jobs.
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