Department of International Cooperation

Press release
9 October 2020
Brussels

The EU framework for screening of foreign direct investment (FDI) will become fully operational as of 11 October 2020.It will now become instrumental in preserving Europe's strategic interests while keeping the EU market open to investment.

Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said: “The EU is and will remain open to foreign investment. But this openness is not unconditional. To respond to today's economic challenges, safeguard key European assets and protect collective security, EU Member States and the Commission need to be working closely together. If we want to achieve an open strategic autonomy, having an efficient EU-wide investment screening cooperation is essential. We are now well equipped for that.”

The FDI screening regulation adopted in March 2019 established an EU-wide framework in which the European Commission and the Member States can coordinate their actions on foreign investments. Following the formal entry into force of the FDI Screening Regulation in April 2019, the Commission and Member States have worked on putting in place the necessary operational requirements for the full application of the Regulation starting 11 October 2020.

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