Investment-led Strategies for Growth and Jobs in Europe

Six years since the outbreak of the North Atlantic financial crisis the European Economy is still struggling to return to a path of sustainable economic growth. It is increasingly evident that growth and jobs in Europe can only be created by meaningful increases investment into core sectors of the European economy.

In November 2014 European Commission President, Jean Claude Juncker, announced a 315 billion Euros investment plan to spearhead economic recovery in Europe. This proposal has received significant attention in the European policy arena and among academics. In particular, several commentators argue that the plan, while representing a first step in the right direction, it is still not sufficient to bring Europe back onto a sustainable growth trajectory.

With this in mind, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) and Kalevi Sorsa Foundation organisde a high-level conference on March 26th, 2015 in Helsinki (Finland) to discuss feasible investment-led growth strategies for Europe.

The conference aimed at addressing the following issues:

1.      How can investment policies spearhead an employment-focused recovery in Europe?
2.      Is the European Commission investment plan sufficiently big to significantly stimulate growth in Europe? If not, what is the ideal size of a pan-European investment plan?
3.      What financial resources can be used to generate higher investment in efficient projects?
4.      What would be the impact of continued austerity policies on investment-led strategies? 

Programme

 Watch the conference: