Juncker Plan has made major impact on EU jobs and growth

The Investment Plan for Europe, the Juncker Plan, has played a key role in boosting jobs and growth in the EU. Investments by the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group backed by the Juncker Plan’s European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) have increased EU gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.9% and added 1.1 million jobs compared to the baseline scenario.

By 2022, the Juncker Plan will have increased EU GDP by 1.8% and added 1.7 million jobs. These are the latest calculations by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Economics Department of the EIB Group, based on financing agreements approved until the end of June 2019.

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, said: “We have achieved what we set out to do: return Europe to solid growth and boost job creation. By 2022, the Juncker Plan will have added 1.7 million jobs to the EU labour market and increased EU GDP by 1.8%. I always said that the Plan was not a cure-all. But with more than one million small-sized companies receiving financing that wasn’t available to them before, we can be proud.”

As of October 2019, the Juncker Plan is set to mobilise €439.4 billion in additional investment across the EU. More than one million start-ups and small businesses are now expected to benefit from improved access to finance.

Thanks to the Juncker Plan, the EIB and its subsidiary for financing small businesses, the European Investment Fund (EIF), have approved financing for close to 1200 operations and are on track to provide risk financing for more than one million start-ups and SMEs across a wide range of sectors and in all 28 EU countries.

In addition to financing innovative projects and new technologies, the Juncker Plan has supported other EU objectives, such as climate, social and transport policy. Projects financed by the EIB Group under the Juncker Plan are set to trigger €90.7 billion in investment for climate action. These include zero-energy buildings, wind farms, solar energy projects, water-saving showers, eco-friendly buses and LED lighting.

Read and download the: Juncker Plan’s impact on jobs and growth: factsheet.

Original source: European Commission
Published on 23 October 2019