The European Commission on Tuesday published data revealing that Greece ranked first among countries with investments triggered by the Juncker Plan's European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) relative to GDP.
"As of October 2019, the top countries ranked by EFSI-triggered investment relative to GDP are Greece, Estonia, Portugal, Bulgaria and Poland," the European Commission said, noting that Juncker Plan projects "ranged from pan-European high-speed charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, to a food waste management company in Romania, to reintegrating former military personnel into the workplace in the Netherlands."
Greece benefitted from 2.7 billion euros in funding from the European Investment Bank, which will trigger total investments of 12.1 billion euros. This includes 33 programs and agreements with SMEs (already approved).
The Juncker Plan has supported the financing of innovative projects and new technologies, along with other EU objectives such as climate, social and transport policy.
Other achievements of the Plan include providing access to renewable energy to more than 10 million households, improving healthcare services for 20 million Europeans and upgrading rail and urban infrastructure for 182 million passengers per year.
