HELA Lunch Talk: Scrutinizing Foreign Direct Investments in the EU

Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) are the backbone of a globalized economy. Yet, for the sake of national security and public policy, governments around the globe have started to push back on foreign direct investments. Therefore, investment screening becomes an issue for international M&A deals and other investments. Most notably, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has recently earned itself a reputation of being a protectionist tool to avert unwanted transactions.

Taking the hint from the US, a public debate about scrutinizing – and blocking – FDI has commenced in Europe. In order to harmonize the varying screening policies in the EU Member States, the EU has passed a regulation on investment screening, which will come into force in April 2019. The lunch talk will discuss this new EU regulation and its expected effects.

Speaker: Christian A. Krebs. Partner, Jones Day Frankfurt. 

Sponsors: RCC; Jean Monnet ad Personam Chair in European Union Law and Government; Jones Day; Harvard European Law Association, Harvard Law School.