21 March 2016 ECONOMIC BULLETIN
Public investment in Europe
Public investment in Europe
See full Report Public investment in Europe
Since the crisis, public investment has fallen in a number of European countries, particularly those that came under market pressure.1 Low levels of public investment, if maintained over a prolonged period, may lead to a deterioration of public capital and diminish longer-term output.
The fall in public investment and the current low interest rate environment have prompted calls to stimulate public investment spending as a way to increase short-term demand and raise potential output. In the European Union (EU), this has led to the adoption of the Investment Plan for Europe (2015).