Khaled Bakdash
Member states’ representatives (Coreper) approved today the Council’s position (‘negotiating mandate’) on one of the Commission’s proposals to simplify EU rules and thus boost EU competitiveness. This proposal aims to increase the EU’s investment capacity to mobilise around €50 billion in additional public and private investments in support of certain EU policies, notably related to the Competitiveness Compass, the Clean Industrial Deal, defence industrial policy and military mobility. The proposed changes further seek to make it easier for Member States to contribute to the ‘Invest EU’ programme and simplify administrative requirements.
| “Simplification of existing legislation is indispensable for boosting EU competitiveness. In the turbulent times we are living, today’s agreement in the Council is a first step towards unlocking additional investment opportunities that will certainly strengthen our economic position in the global arena.” |
| — Adam Szłapka, Minister for the European Union of Poland |
The proposal forms part of the ‘Omnibus’ packages adopted by the Commission at the end of February 2025 with a view to simplifying existing legislation in the field of sustainability and EU investments. This proposal amends the ‘Invest EU’ regulation to help mobilise around €50 billion of investments by increasing the size of the EU guarantee and facilitating the combined use of the ‘Invest EU’ guarantee with existing capacity available under three legacy programmes: the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI), the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) debt instrument and the so-called ‘InnovFin debt facility’, an initiative launched by the EIB group in support of research and innovation. Moreover, the proposal increases the attractiveness of the ‘Invest EU’ member state compartment and reduces the administrative burden caused by reporting requirements, especially for SMEs.
Next steps
Following today’s approval of the Council’s negotiating mandate by Coreper, the presidency is enabled to enter interinstitutional negotiations (trilogues) with a view to reaching a provisional agreement with the European Parliament on this proposal.
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