FDI Policy in the EU Countries in the Aftermath of 2008 Crisis
This paper touches upon the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy pursued in the EU in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis and at a time of profound changes: amidst fears of a return to economic protectionism, the growing popularity of reindustrialisation, the shift of FDI-policy-making from the national to the EU level, controversies surrounding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and an influx of Chinese capital. By means of a critical literature review and expert consultations, I diagnosed the approaches towards incoming and out flowing FDI that are dominant in the EU. A less friendly political rhetoric has failed to produce concrete changes in FDI policies. The added value provided by the study lies in having assessed trends in the EU’s (post)crisis FDI policy without preselecting a focus on specific states. The most popular approach appears to be the “capital-based model” favouring inflows of new investors while selectively rather than specifically stimulating outgoing FDI.
