#InvestEU lays the foundation for the European recovery

The European Commission welcomes the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the EU Member States on the InvestEU Regulation. The political agreement, pending final approval of the legal texts by the European Parliament plenary and the Council, lays the foundation for a successful and sustainable long-term recovery of the European economy from the coronavirus pandemic.

Here is a summary of the main issues agreed:

EU budgetary guarantee of €26.2 billion, indicatively distributed across the four policy windows as follows:

1. Sustainable Infrastructure window: €9.9 billion
2. Research, Innovation and Digitisation window: €6.6 billion
3. SME window: €6.9 billion
4. Social Investment and Skills window: €2.8 billion

• At least 30% of the investments under InvestEU will contribute to the Union’s climate action goals, confirming InvestEU as one of the main EU programmes contributing to the European Green Deal Investment Plan.
• InvestEU will facilitate a specific Just Transition scheme to generate additional investment for the benefit of Just Transition regions with an approved territorial Just Transition plan.
• Member States will be able to implement, on a voluntary basis, a part of their plans under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism through the InvestEU programme and the InvestEU Advisory Hub.
• To ensure rapid deployment and local coverage, InvestEU will be implemented in partnership with the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund and other implementing partners such as international financial institutions and national development banks and institutions.

Next steps

After technical finalisation of the text containing the political agreement, the European Parliament and the Council will have to approve it in order for the Regulation to enter into force and for InvestEU to become operational.

Once adopted, the EU’s long-term budget, together with the Next Generation EU initiative, will be the largest stimulus package ever financed from the EU budget. A total of €1.8 trillion will help rebuild post-COVID-19 Europe. It will be a greener, more digital and more resilient Europe.

What is the InvestEU programme?

InvestEU is the EU’s flagship investment programme to boost the European economy. It provides the conditions for long-term financing and support for the Union’s policies to recover from a deep economic and social crisis. The InvestEU programme builds on the success of the Investment Plan for Europe and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI).