The European screening mechanism for foreign investment screening, transposed into Belgian law, will enter into force in Belgium on 1 July.
The European Commission adopted in 2020 a European framework for screening foreign direct investment (FDI) to safeguard Europe’s strategic interests while maintaining the opening of the EU market to investments. Strategic interests concern foreign investments that pose a threat to the security or public order of more than one Member State, or where an investment is likely to undermine a project or programme of interest to the European Union as a whole.
Strategic interests concern foreign investment that poses a threat to security or public order
The EU is one of the most open investment destinations in the world and is the main destination for foreign direct investment in the world: stocks of FDI held by third country investors in the EU amounted to EUR 6 441 billion at the end of 2017 and represented 16 million direct jobs in Europe.
In order to safeguard the Union’s strategic interests related to foreign investment, the EU Regulation established a cooperation mechanism allowing Member States and the Commission to exchange information on specific investments, in particular where an investment poses a threat to security or public order.
Transposition at Belgian level
The various levels of power have agreed on an interfederal mechanism for screening foreign investment in the context of the transposition of the European regulation. This scheme enters into force in Belgium on 1 July and applies to foreign direct investment likely to affect security or public order in Belgium. Or the strategic interests of regions and communities.
First information session on the interfederal foreign investment screening mechanism on 20 March
On 20 March, BECI, FEB, Voka, UWE, Agoria and ICC Belgium will organise a first information session on the interfederal foreign investment screening mechanism.
Information and registration for the information session of 20 March: https://agenda.beci.be/session-d-information-sur-le-mecanisme-de-filtrage-des-investissements-etrangers
