(19 January 2015) – The European Commission, in partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB), is launching today “fi-compass”, a new advisory service on financial instruments for the European Structural and Investment Funds. This service is part of the “one stop shop” advisory hub, to be launched as an important part of the EU Investment Plan.
The work to deliver the Investment Plan is moving. 50 days after President Juncker announced plans for an EU investment offensive, and the Commission has launched a legislative proposal for the European Fund for Strategic Investments – to mobilise at least €315 billion in private and public investment across the European Union.
With the launch of “fi-compass”, the Commission and EIB are now moving quickly to deliver on the second pillar of the Investment Plan to make actual investment happen in the economy. This second pillar aims at enhancing technical assistance (with an advisory hub to provide all the necessary financial and technical support to public and private promoters) and providing transparency to investors. A transparent project pipeline of viable projects will be launched with the EIB later this year.
This platform will be an important enabler for Member States to make use of financial instruments under the European Structural and Investment Funds, as Cohesion policy will play a central part in reaching the objectives of the Investment Plan, in terms of strategic and fruitful investments, job creation and sustainable growth.