FDI In Europe Research Articles

The impact of Chinese foreign direct investment and environmental tax revenues on air degradation in Europe: a spatial regression approach, 2000-2020.

This study analyzes air pollution through the effects of China's FDI in 27 European countries over a 20-year period, with a focus on the impact of environmental tax revenues (ETRs) and the environmental context in China. The relationship is estimated through spatial regressions that account for the presence of air pollutants in neighboring countries. The findings suggest that China's FDI in Europe does not contribute to air pollution but rather has a positive impact. The presence of environmental charges filters out non-polluting investments, which has a non-linear relationship with PM2.5 pollution rates. The study also concludes that air pollution is closely linked to the global environmental context, highlighting the positive effects of international agreements in the fight against climate change. Specifically, the study finds a link between China's efforts to address its polluting activities and their impact on European air quality.

Report on the 7th Annual EFILA Conference 2022 on Whether the EU is Still an Attractive FDI Destination Post-Achmea and Komstroy

The European Federation for Investment Law and Arbitration (EFILA) held its 7th Annual Conference on Thursday, 9 June 2022 in Amsterdam. Over a series of four expert panels and a keynote speech delivered by Prof. Dr. Anne van Aaken (Hamburg University), panelists discussed the future of FDI in Europe in the wake of “anti-isds” decisions of the CJEU such as Slovak Republic v Achmea and Republic of Moldova v Komstroy.

Who wins the race for knowledge-based competitiveness? Comparing European and North American FDI patterns

The geographical dispersion of value-added activities triggered by the ‘great unbundling’ of production has made the race for competitiveness increasingly shaped by the capability of multinational corporations (MNCs) to orchestrate global innovation networks at world scale. However, major differences in the distribution of foreign investments across value chain functions undertaken by MNCs based in different economic areas have drawn little attention in the empirical literature. This work attempts to fill this gap by focusing on the FDI patterns of European and North American MNCs, which have historically played a key role in the internationalization of production and innovation. To this aim, we compare outward FDI flows of European and North American MNCs in manufacturing and knowledge-intensive activities over the period 2003–2017. We show that while European MNCs are key players in global networks of production, they do not reach the heights of North American investors in the dispersion of knowledge-based activities. Most importantly, European MNCs rely on emerging economies more to offshore production than to set up R&D labs in these countries; by contrast, US-based MNCs are more prone to engage in knowledge-intensive FDIs towards the most dynamic emerging countries (especially China and India, as well as the Four Asian Tigers). Further, we account for the growing role of new entrants in global FDI markets by comparing the advanced economies’ foreign investment decisions with those from Chinese MNCs. Drawing from the literature on the globalization of R&D and cross-border knowledge transmission, a discussion is finally offered on the potential implications of the detected differences in internationalization patterns, together with possible directions for future research.

Report on the 7th Annual EFILA Conference 2022 on Whether the EU Is Still an Attractive FDI Destination Post-Achmea and Komstroy

The European Federation for Investment Law and Arbitration (EFILA) held its 7th Annual Conference on Thursday, 9 June 2022 in Amsterdam. Over a series of four expert panels and a keynote speech delivered by Prof. Dr. Anne van Aaken (Hamburg University), panelists discussed the future of FDI in Europe in the wake of “anti-ISDS” decisions of the CJEU such as Slovak Republic v Achmea and Republic of Moldova v Komstroy.

Modelling European regional FDI flows using a Bayesian spatial Poisson interaction model

This paper presents an empirical study of spatial origin and destination effects of European regional FDI dyads. Recent regional studies primarily focus on locational determinants, but ignore bilateral origin- and intervening factors, as well as associated spatial dependence. This paper fills this gap by using observations on interregional FDI flows within a spatially augmented Poisson interaction model. We explicitly distinguish FDI activities between three different stages of the value chain. Our results provide important insights on drivers of regional FDI activities, both from origin and destination perspectives. We moreover show that spatial dependence plays a key role in both dimensions.

China's FDI in Europe and Europe's Policy Response

China’s investment in the European Union (EU) increased significantly during the European financial crisis, but has been on the decline in recent years. The surge of Chinese investment has raised concerns and demands for analysis on the negative effects it could have on the EU companies and industries. In this context, the present study aims to analyze the main characteristics of Chinese investment and M&A in Europe, major policy issues between the two sides, the EU’s policy responses, and prospects of Chinese future investment in Eu-rope, going on to draw important lessons for Korea.To summarize the main characteristics of China's investment in Europe, the study found that the EU's share of China's overseas direct investment has continued to increase until recently. Second, investment in the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) is gradually increasing, although it is still insignificant compared to the top five destinations in the EU: Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Luxembourg and France. Third, China's investment in the EU is being made in pursuit of innovation in manufacturing and to acquire high-tech technologies. When it comes to China's M&A in Europe, the study found that the proportion of indirect China's M&As (via third countries (e.g. Hong Kong) or Chinese subsidiaries already established in Europe) was relatively higher than direct ones.Empirical factor analysis of investment also shows that China's investment in the EU is strongly motivated by the pursuit of strategic assets. Other factors such as institutional-level and regulatory variables are found to have no significant impact, or have an effect contrary to expectations. This suggests that China's investment in the EU is based on the Chinese government's growth strategy, and accompanies an element of national capitalismToday, It is highly expected that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a reorganizing effect on the global value chain (GVC) and Foreign investment regulation in the high-tech sector motivated by national security is emerging as a global issue as the US and the EU are tightening their control. As Korean companies are not free from the risk of falling under such regulations, a thorough and careful response is required. And for the Korean government, it is necessary to prepare legal and institutional measures regulating foreign investment in reference to the US and the EU.

Foreign Direct Investment Legislation: A Precondition for Creating a Favourable Investment Climate in the Case of Kosovo

Abstract Foreign direct investment (FDI) represents a significant impetus for sustainable economic growth and development. From the context of the importance that FDI carries as the transfer of knowledge, experience, employment growth and development of human capital, its attraction definitely requires a proper legal basis, namely, the implementation of the law and the proper functioning of judiciary. The main aim of this study is to elaborate the legislation on foreign direct investment in Kosovo and to analyse FDI in Kosovo over the years. This study is based on local literature, specifically the interpretation of the current law on FDI in Kosovo and international literature to examine the effects of legislation on a business climate. This study is descriptive, comparative and analytical, based mainly on secondary data provided by the World Bank indicators on FDI in Kosovo over the years. Kosovo as a young, post-war state has drafted a number of reforms in the economic field and in the field of law enforcement and judiciary, but undoubtedly the current law governing strategic investments has room for improvement, thus, must be enforced in order for investors to feel safe while operating in Kosovo. This study also concludes that Kosovo is attractive for foreign investors due to the increasing rate of GDP, labour market conditions, high rate of degree holders complying with labour market requirements. The study goes further with recommendations on supplementing the current law versus the European FDI legislation. The major implication of the study is the comparative analysis of Kosovo’s law in regard to the EU Law on FDI.

NEW SCREENING OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS (FDI) IN EUROPE: A FIRST STEP TOWARDS A NEW PARADIGM?

In March 2019, Regulation 2019/452, establishing a European framework for the screening of FDI in the Union, was finally adopted after a fast-track legislative procedure of only one year and a half. However, the cooperation mechanism therein designed will only apply from 11 October 2020. Although the Regulation clearly establishes the principle of non-discrimination between third countries, it is evident that one of the main triggers of the new mechanism has been the exponential increase in direct investments in Europe from emerging economies and especially from China. Does this new regulation represent a new era for FDI in Europe? What is the scope and impact of the Regulation on future investment relationships? Does the Regulation try to limit FDI in Europe? Has there been a political shift in the EU towards less liberalization of these investments? Is effective protection established against risks to public security, lack of reciprocity and / or eventual unfair competition? Is it a first step of a trend that announces new future steps in the same direction? This contribution tries to answer all these questions.

The demand-side politics of China’s global buying spree: managers’ attitudes toward Chinese inward FDI flows in comparative perspective

I investigate public opinion toward Chinese FDI inflows in advanced economies, comparing attitudes toward such investment with attitudes toward American and European FDI inflows. I am interested in whether concerns with technology transfer (and related job losses) commonly associated with Chinese FDI resonate among the key target audience, namely managers. Accordingly, I expect managers to less strongly support Chinese FDI inflows relative to FDI inflows from advanced economies when they are employed in high R&D industries. I expect both self-interested and socio-tropic motives to drive the split in how managers view Chinese FDI vs. European and American FDI. Because technology transfer occurs in acquisitions, I also expect industry-level exposure to Chinese acquisitions to reinforce the negative joint impact of being a manager and employment in high R&D industries on support for Chinese FDI. Using original survey data from Switzerland, I find robust evidence for my expectations. The findings point to occupational characteristics and the fear of technology transfer as key drivers of opposition to Chinese FDI in advanced economies, and suggest that the demand-side politics of Chinese inward FDI is unique.

A Bayesian spatial autoregressive logit model with an empirical application to European regional FDI flows

In this paper, we propose a Bayesian estimation approach for a spatial autoregressive logit specification. Our approach relies on recent advances in Bayesian computing, making use of Polya–Gamma sampling for Bayesian Markov-chain Monte Carlo algorithms. The proposed specification assumes that the involved log-odds of the model follow a spatial autoregressive process. Polya–Gamma sampling involves a computationally efficient treatment of the spatial autoregressive logit model, allowing for extensions to the existing baseline specification in an elegant and straightforward way. In a Monte Carlo study we demonstrate that our proposed approach markedly outperforms alternative specifications in terms of parameter precision. The paper moreover illustrates the performance of the proposed spatial autoregressive logit specification using pan-European regional data on foreign direct investments. Our empirical results highlight the importance of accounting for spatial dependence when modelling European regional FDI flows.

Comments on Geographical and Strategic Factors in Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Europe

June 01 2019 Comments on Geographical and Strategic Factors in Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Europe Author and Article Information Online Issn: 1536-0083 Print Issn: 1535-3516 © 2019 by the Asian Economic Panel and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology2019Asian Economic Panel and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Asian Economic Papers (2019) 18 (2): 123–125. https://doi.org/10.1162/asep_a_00702 Cite Icon Cite Permissions Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Search Site Citation Comments on Geographical and Strategic Factors in Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Europe. Asian Economic Papers 2019; 18 (2): 123–125. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/asep_a_00702 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsAsian Economic Papers Search Advanced Search Mark Lee, Sunway University: This paper touches on an issue that is both highly contemporary and contentious. Arguably, the coverage of geographic and, in particular, strategic factors influencing Chinese FDI in Europe cuts through the heart of many of Beijing's policy aspirations. These include the Belt Road Initiative, Made in China 2025, internationalization of the renminbi, and purported aims of weakening western unity in Europe and beyond, culminating in the broader rise of the Chinese political and economic order that will outshine liberal democracies. Within this context, the paper comprehensively discusses various dimensions including the evolution, motivations, actors, and strategies and distribution (geographical and sectoral) of Chinese FDI across Europe. Commendably, the paper also attempts to tackle the question of whether “China is out to conquer the world” (seen within the context of China's Resource Diplomacy in Africa, sovereignty claims and advances in the South and East China Seas, etc.).... You do not currently have access to this content.

Geographical and Strategic Factors in Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Europe

Recently, the volume of Chinese FDI made in Europe has reached the level of European FDI in China (now constrained by restrictions and risks). It equaled the level of FDI made by Chinese firms in the United States before they began to decline in the last two years. The Chinese economic presence in Europe is divided into three parts in terms of volume, destination, and type of acquisition: The heart of Europe is made up of the three major destinations (Germany, UK, France), where more capital-intensive investments are made, followed by other Western European countries (EU-15). New member states (NMS) that joined the EU in 2004, 2007, and 2013, and Western Balkan countries, in accession to the EU, are associated with China in the 16+1 Format (with the exception of Kosovo) and are another gateway to Europe. They receive less direct investment because of smaller market opportunities but China is building infrastructure (ports, highways, railways)—segments of the Silk Road that will bring Chinese products to the mature markets of the EU.

Austrian Outbound Foreign Direct Investment in Europe: A Spatial Econometric Study

This paper focuses on Austrian outbound foreign direct investment (FDI, measured by sales of Austrian affiliates abroad) in Europe over the period 2009–2013, using a spatial Durbin panel data model specification with fixed effects, and a spatial weight matrix based on the first-order contiguity relationship of the countries and normalised by its largest eigenvalue. Third-country effects essentially enter the empirical analysis in two major ways: first, by the endogenous spatial lag on FDI (measured by FDI into markets nearby the host country), and, second, by including an exogenous market potential variable that measures the size of markets nearby the FDI host country in terms of gross domestic product. The question whether the empirical result is compatible with horizontal, vertical, export-platform or complex vertical FDI then depends on the sign and significance levels of both the coefficient of the spatial lag on FDI and the direct impact estimate of the market potential variable. The paper yields robust results that provide significant empirical evidence for horizontal FDI as the main driver of Austrian outbound FDI in Europe. This result is strengthened by the indirect impact estimate of the market potential variable indicating that spatial spillovers do not matter.

Characteristics and host country drivers of Chinese FDI in Europe: a company-level analysis

Characteristics and host country drivers of Chinese FDI in Europe: a company-level analysis

Characteristics and host country drivers of Chinese FDI in Europe: a company-level analysis

The present study of direct investment from mainland China into Europe complements and extends prior studies by building on a firm-level database comprising of 548 Chinese subsidiaries in 26 countries in EU and EFTA. The study identifies and characterises three segments of subsidiaries, predominantly related, respectively, to private companies' market-seeking activities, state-owned companies' production- and technology-seeking activities, and efficiency-seeking activities in Eastern Europe. Through multivariate regression the study confirms that potentials for market exploitation are particularly important host country factors for attracting Chinese FDI. There is no strong correlation between aggregate national R&D spending and Chinese knowledge-seeking investments, reflecting that such investments tend to be individual and highly idiosyncratic cases. Rather than a wholesale adoption or dismissal of extant FDI-theories vis-a-vis new ones, extant theories are found to apply differentially to the different identified segments of Chinese outward FDI.

Origin of FDI and Domestic Productivity Spillovers: Does European FDI Have a Productivity Advantagee in the ENP Countries?

The process of approximation between the EU and its ‘eastern neighbourhood’ has created conditions for deepening economic interactions and market integration, giving to the EU – and to EU businesses – an elevated role in the process of economic modernisation and transition in the neighbourhood countries. This raises the question as to whether European business activity in these countries produces indeed measureable economic advantages both in absolute and in relative terms (e.g., compared to business activity from other parts of the world). Similarly, a question arises as to whether European business activity reduces or amplifies spatial imbalances within the partner countries. This paper examines these issues for the case of capital flows (foreign ownership) and the related productivity spillovers, using firm-level data from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) covering 28 transition countries over the period 2002-2009. We estimate the direct and intra-industry productivity effects of foreign ownership and examine how these differ across regional blocks (CEE, SEE and ENP), according to the origin of the foreign investor (EU versus non-EU), across geographical scales (pure industry versus regional spillovers) and for different types of locations (capital-city regions versus the rest). Our results suggest that FDI of EU origin plays a distinctive role in the countries concerned helping raise domestic productivity significantly more than investments from outside the EU. However, this process appears to operate in a spatially selective manner, thus enhancing regional disparities and spatial imbalances. This, then, assigns a particular responsibility for EU policy, as it continues to promote economic integration (and FDI flows) to its eastern neighbourhood, to devise interventions that will help redress these problems.

Origin of FDI and Intra‐Industry Domestic Spillovers: The Case of Greek and European FDI in Bulgaria

AbstractThis paper uses firm‐level data to assess the horizontal impact of foreign firm ownership on domestic productivity in Bulgaria. We identify a theoretical tradeoff between technological distance (of domestic versus foreign firms) and internalization capacity (of spillovers) and examine the extent to which this is reflected in the impact on the domestic economy of different types and origins of FDI. Emphasis is placed upon the effects of Greek FDI, which is known to be of a distinctively “regional” character. We find that Greek FDI produces significantly larger positive spillovers, which appear more suitable for the Bulgarian context of transition and economic restructuring. We also unveil some notable “hysteresis” and “technology bias” effects for FDI spillovers of all origins, as well as some country‐specific ownership‐structure and threshold effects.

Прямые инвестиции ведущих стран ЕС

The article is devoted to the analysis of trends, sectoral and geographical distribution of European FDI in the context of the ongoing changes in the macroeconomic situation. The paper’s basic illustrative sources are investment projects of French, German and British TNCs, which rank among the leading capital exporters of the world.

Structural funds, EU enlargement, and the redistribution of FDI in Europe

The EU enlargements of 2004 led to a redirection of Structural and Cohesion Funds expenditures from EU-15 to new EU members as did those of 2007. This redistribution of funds makes the accession countries even more attractive as a location of FDI. Using a logistic regressions approach, this paper shows that a reallocation of structural funds as outlined in Agenda (For a stronger and wider union, COM(97) 2000 final, 2000) and successive revisions of the financial perspectives for an enlarged union leads to a redistribution of FDI by approximately 4−8 percentage points from the current EU members to the accession countries (2004 scenario) and 7−10 percentage points (2007 scenario), respectively.

European FDI for Emerging Market: The German Firm Strategy in Russia

This case focuses on the challenge of the Knauf Group strategy development for the Russian market. Knauf's active investment policy led to the growth of its brand recognition in the construction materials market and allowed for the creation of a strong premium brand. As a result, the company acquired a highly competitive position in the Russian market. Management had plans to increase investment in Russia, especially in the North-West region of the Russian Federation. However, in the year 2005 the company got rid of one of its most successful businesses, the Pobeda Knauf Masonry Mill in Kolpino just outside of St. Petersburg. The decision to focus on the production of gypsum products and related materials was made. Up to the moment of the sale of the Masonry Mill to a major Russian construction company LSR, the management of the factory had been conducted according to the same principles as were in force in Knauf's other businesses. The management focused on a strategy of quality, active marketing and improvement of the enterprise's organizational structure. After twelve years of success in the Russian construction materials market, Knauf sold its successfullyfunctioning manufacturing facility to its direct competitor, the Lenstroyrekonstruktsiya Group. This might either be evidence of the fact that Knauf is aspiring to more narrowly define its core competency via staying away from non-core activities, or perhaps, is an indication of the loss of its control over its affiliates and the decrease of its competitive positions in the North-West market of the Russian Federation.