EIB released this very interesting overview of investment in the EU in 2024. It provides an overview on how EU firms invest covering the investment gap, investment types, global value chain, climate change, innovation investment barriers and innovation.

Some key highlights

• “Many EU firms are satisfied with their overall level of investment over the last three years, but a meaningful portion reports investment gaps (14%).

• EU firms continue to prioritise replacement investments over capacity expansion, with the share of firms investing to expand operations remaining 6 percentage points below that of the US.

• EU firms devote a significant portion of their investments (37%) to intangible assets, focusing less on land, buildings, and infrastructure than US firms do (14% vs. 24%).”

• In the European Union 66% of firms report being directly impacted by physical risk, compared to 60% in the United States.

• Energy costs remain a major obstacle to investment activities for 46% of EU firms, a much higher share than in the US“