by Dr. Kai-Dieter Classen, LL.M. (Berkeley)

Deputy Director of the External Affairs Division

Hamburg Port Authority

Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) are generally considered a source of growth.

However, especially investments of state-controlled foreign enterprises in critical technologies and infrastructure, such as ports, cause concerns again and again.

Now, the EU intends to evaluate such investments with a specific screening mechanism. Defending national interests in global trade is usually related to practices like dumping, subsidies, or what lately makes the headlines - pelting each other with tariffs.

FDIs, in contrast, are generally regarded not as a threat to but a benefit for the economy, being a source of growth and innovation, as well as an indicator of a competitive business location.

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