Bulgaria is 20th in terms of investment from gross domestic product (GDP) in the European Union. In 2017, investments in the country – of the state and companies reached 19.2% of GDP. In 2016 they were 18.6% and in the years 2012 to 2015 – 21% of GDP. This shows Eurostat data. In the past year, total investments from both the public and private sectors of the countries in the European Union were almost 3.1 trillion euros.
Total investment in EU countries was 20.1% of GDP in 2017, decreasing by 2.3% compared to 10 years ago – 22.4%, just before the start of the global economic and financial crisis. The drop in investment is even more pronounced in the euro area: from 23.2% of GDP in 2007 to 20.5% in 2017.
Construction works sector accounts for almost half of these investments, 31% is the share of the machinery and equipment sectors, as well as weapons systems (31%) followed by intellectual property products (19%). The last category shows the fastest growth as a share of total capital investments.
Among Member States in 2017, investments amount to about a quarter of GDP in the Czech Republic (25.2%) and Sweden (24.9%), among those with the highest share. In Estonia (23.7%), Austria (23.5%), Ireland (23.4%), Belgium (23.3%), Romania and Finland (both 22.6%) and France (22.4%), the share of investments exceeds one fifth of GDP.
At the other end are Greece (12.6%), Portugal (16.2%), United Kingdom (16.9%), Luxembourg (17%), Italy (17.5%) and Poland (17,7%), Luxembourg (17%), Italy (17.5%) and Poland (17,9%).
Between 2007 and 2017, the ratio of investment to GDP decreased in 24 of the 28 EU countries. In this decade the biggest drop was observed in Latvia (19.9% in 2017 versus 36.4% in 2007), Greece (-13.4%), Estonia (-10.9%), Lithuania (-9.8%) and Bulgaria (-9.1%).
Within the EU, the European Fund for Strategic Investments is operating and it supports the financing of infrastructure and innovation projects, the financing of SMEs and mid-cap companies. The Fund’s last plan foresees the mobilisation of investments of at least EUR 315 billion over three years.
