The EU is worried about sensitive exports to competitors and foes
A lot of bureaucracy will ensue
NOT SO LONG ago, the countries that restricted outbound foreign direct investment (FDI) were usually relatively poor ones, driven by a desire to keep cash and know-how at home. That is changing. On January 2nd an executive order passed by the outgoing American president, Joe Biden, to restrict investment in China came into effect. And now the European Union is following suit. Two weeks later, the European Commission unveiled plans to review outward FDI in areas deemed critical for the security of the EU.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Follow the tech”
Europe February 1st 2025
- Inside Europe, border checks are creeping back
- A day of drama in the Bundestag
- The EU is worried about sensitive exports to competitors and foes
- Amid talk of a ceasefire, Ukraine’s front line is crumbling
- The French government’s survival is now in Socialist hands
- Meet Europe’s Gaullists, Atlanticists, denialists and Putinists
From the February 1st 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Europe
Meet Europe’s Gaullists, Atlanticists, denialists and Putinists
As Donald Trump returns, so do Europe’s old schisms over how to defend itself
Inside Europe, border checks are creeping back
Voters and politicians are worried about unauthorised migrants
A day of drama in the Bundestag
Friedrich Merz, Germany’s probable next chancellor, takes a huge bet and triggers uproar
Amid talk of a ceasefire, Ukraine’s front line is crumbling
An ominous defeat in the eastern town of Velyka Novosilka
The French government’s survival is now in Socialist hands
Moderates attempt to move away from the radicals
Germans are growing cold on the debt brake
Expect changes after the election