Commission proposes new initiatives to strengthen EU economic security
Main Message
The Commission adopted a package of five initiatives to strengthen EU economic security in response to growing geopolitical tensions and technological change, aiming to balance protection with openness. The measures include a legislative proposal to tighten foreign investment screening, White Papers on export controls, outbound investments and R&D for dual-use technologies, and a proposal for a Council Recommendation on enhancing research security.
Why It Matters
The package targets trade and investment channels by improving FDI screening, monitoring outbound investments in a narrow set of advanced technologies, and proposing more coordinated export controls to avoid a patchwork of national approaches. It also seeks to shape support for research with dual-use potential and to give Member States and research institutions guidance to reduce risks while keeping cooperation open.
What Follows
Next steps include a three-month stakeholder consultation and a 12-month national monitoring and joint risk assessment on outbound investments, a public consultation on R&D options open until 30 April 2024, a Commission Recommendation on export-control coordination planned for Summer 2024, and an evaluation of the Dual-Use Regulation advanced to 2025; the Commission will decide with Member States whether policy responses are warranted.
Sources
Official Documents
- Commission proposes new initiatives to strengthen economic security Five initiatives to boost EU economic security were adopted, including a legislative proposal to strengthen FDI screening, outbound investment risk monitoring, unified dual-use export controls, options to support dual-use R&D, and a Council Recommendation to enhance research security.
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