AER series on investments: Episode 2

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Episode 2 of the AER series on investments focuses on the EFSI technical and advisory services available to regions for a sound and smooth implementation of the Juncker Plan.

Reaching the real economy

At the Opening Conference of AER Committees’ Plenaries in London, Florentine Hopmeier, Team Leader for the Investment Plan for Europe, European Commission, presented the latest features of the Investment Plan. She insisted on the EFSI technical and advisory services in particular. Regions had the opportunity to discuss and ask her questions about the challenges their facing. The European Fund for Strategic Investment is mobilising at least € 315bn for access to finance and strategic investments and is already supporting projects from areas such as research & innovation, digital economy, energy union, transport or the circular economy.

To facilitate the process of developing projects and matching with the investment opportunities, the EFSI has been equipped with the European Investment Advisory Hub (EIAH), for advisory services, technical assistance and providing expertise and with the European Investment Project Portal (EIPP), to improve transparency and to help matching investment opportunities proposed by project sponsors with investors’ interest. We will go through the main accessible services.

EFSI technical and advisory services for project development

To address the main financial and non-financial obstacles the European Investment Advisory Hub (EIAH) is providing support to the investment environment, during the project development and preparation. It is a partnership between the EIB and the European Commission and both contribute to its financing.

Project promoters, public authorities and private companies can ask for technical assistance and receive advices from high-level experts in order to get their project ready and suitable for investment opportunities. Here are the main programmes available:

JASPERS (Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions), provides EU Member States with assistance during all stages of the project cycle, from development to capacity building and provides you an independent quality review. Here is the detailed description of the services, which are free of charge.
ELENA (European Local ENergy Assistance), provides investment preparation support related to energy efficiency and renewable energy across the 28 EU Member States. You can contact ELENA providing a brief description of your entity and the planned investment programme. The ELENA team will review the information and assess if the project meets the eligibility criteria and they will actively support you during the application process.
EPEC (European PPP Expertise Centre), supports the public sector’s ability to deliver better Public-Private Partnerships, through market intelligence, helping the PPP legal framework, the processes of preparing, approving and managing PPPs. This is mainly done through network activities, policy advice and project development support. Through the helpdesk facility they provide responses to immediate questions or find the relevant expertise needed.

The fi-compass platform supports and enhance the use of EU funds. Searching by topic or by country gives access to guidance and manuals, providing practical know-how and learning tools on financial instruments. Through events and learning opportunities the platform enables the sharing of experiences in using the financial instruments and supports in the management.

InnovFin Advisory guides its clients on R&I projects in order to improve their structure and the access to finance. The services provided are many such as business modelling, strategic planning, eligibility criteria, governance, innovative financial instruments and they are provided independently of the EIB’s lending/investment decisions. You can submit you request writing a detailed description of the project, including business plan highlights and the expected budget commitment.

Bridging opportunities to investors

The European Investment Project Portal (EIPP) is a web portal where investors can search for project opportunities across Europe, choosing the size, sector and geographical position. Project promoters seeking for investors have only to register their proposal to the portal and filling out a project application. The publication is free for public authorities.

In this way the project opportunities gain visibility and the investors can choose the solution which better fit their willings. The matching process between the interested sides becomes smoother and easier. This simple and user-friendly portal enables the transparency of the EU investment opportunities and at the same time makes them attractive to investors worldwide.