I summarize the main results and policy insights from the 2011 EIB Conference on “Productivity and Long-Term Growth Potential in Europe”. Europe’s need for productivity growth has become more pressing against the backdrop of huge government debt and a beginning slowdown in labour supply....

Europe is lagging behind other developed economies in the availability and use of very fast broadband services. The recently introduced Digital Agenda for Europe initiative sets forward ambitious targets for the development of super-fast broadband infrastructures in Europe to foster smart and...

This study discusses the structure and development of private infrastructure finance in Europe in a global context. It examines the contribution of private capital to the financing of infrastructure investment needs. A 'big picture' is created by putting the various financing instruments and...

This study analyzes issues related to green, i.e. low-carbon electricity investment in Europe. While traditionally the focus of attention was on green transmission lines, it has become clear in the course of this study that even though high-voltage electricity transmission is an important...

Infrastructure in the Eastern Neighbours and Central Asia (ENCA) lags behind other regions in terms of the quality of service provision and this is a potentially important constraint on the achievement of higher economic growth. The purpose of this paper is to examine the recent developments in...

Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on Europe that will affect its economic sectors and the distribution of economic activity. While some of those climate-change impacts can be alleviated by mitigation action, some degree of climate change cannot be avoided anymore. This makes...

This paper examines developments in market share, export structure and revealed comparative advantage within the EU and in comparison with other regions of the world. It pays special attention to shifts in specialisation and export structure with regard to manufacturing and services, lower and...

We set out to decompose government investment, seeking especially to estimate how much governments in Europe invest in infrastructure in general and transport infrastructure in particular. It is concluded that infrastructure accounts for about one-third of overall government investment in the EU...

There is plenty of evidence for market failures that motivate government intervention for innovation in general and research and development (R&D) in particular. R&D subsidies are a policy tool of major importance - both in theory and practice. The empirical evidence for the effectiveness of R&D...