Translation of "Processus d'analyse des investissements " (French → English) :

The group will exchange information and best practices, and analysis on foreign direct investments.

5. Notes that, while deficits have been reduced in a number of countries, this process has also caused a fall in public investment in the Union; welcomes therefore the fostering of a European investment policy aimed at boosting growth and job creation, and calls for further efforts to ensure the financing of the real economy; takes the view that the main aims of projects receiving EFSI support should be decent job creation leading to quality employment and achieving social, economic and territorial cohesion; considers that there should be stronger measures in response to Parliament’s call to promote social investment not only in pursu ...[+++]it of financial profit, but also with the aim of promoting a positive social impact and reducing inequality by, inter alia, improving public services and supporting the creation of jobs for categories of disadvantaged people; stresses, in this regard, the need to strengthen the Commission’s regulatory tools (such as impact assessments, evaluations, etc.) and to implement forms of control and monitoring where investments are made;

56. Welcomes the introduction of new tools for coordinating stakeholders and integrating EU policies, and for focusing investments on the real needs on the ground, such as the Integrated Territorial Investments and the Community-Led Local Development instruments, seeking balanced territorial development; points to the importance of adopting instruments for assessing the territorial impact of policies, the main objective of which is to consider the territorial impact of EU policies on local and regional authorities, and to draw greater attention to that impact in the legislative process ...[+++], while noting the existing challenges to implementing integrated territorial approaches, given the remaining regulatory differences across the EU funds and the greatly varying degree of empowerment of regional and local communities among Member States and managing authorities; calls for an overall, integrated EU investment strategy, and a strengthening of the EU Territorial Agenda 2020, adopted under the Hungarian Presidency in 2011 and scheduled to be evaluated by the presidencies of 2015, which includes the EU Urban Agenda; is of the opinion that particular attention should be paid to strengthening the role of small- and medium-sized urban areas;

Any review of investments in sensitive sectors at EU level also has to examine all investment sources, not just sovereign wealth funds.

If we analyse Europe’s investments in recent times, not just in Sri Lanka but in the region in general, we shall see that we have invested a lot in stirring up war and much less — very little in fact — in building and promoting peace.

The error lies precisely in, when all is said and done, considering environmental investments to be an obligation which has been imposed, an additional cost which serves no purpose.