Webinar on investment screening in times of COVID-19 – and beyond

????25 June 2020, 12:30 to 14:00 (Paris time)

Governments recognise the benefits of international investment, but are paying increasing attention to occasional risk associated with foreign investment. As part of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several governments have introduced new FDI screening mechanisms, enhanced existing ones, or accelerated policy making to fend off new or newly identified threats.

Investment screening already had a heyday before the crisis struck – the pandemic was a mere accelerator rather than the trigger of this trend. The superposition of the two waves of new measure may bring about transformational and permanent change to FDI screening policy practice – and to the way governments and societies view the benefits and risks associated with foreign investment.

This webinar will set out the developments in this policy area prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and how the pandemic modified and amplified these developments. The webinar will also seeks to anticipate the future of FDI screening policy, as the landscape for international investment and FDI screening may emerge transformed even when the pandemic and the related economic crisis have eventually receded.

The OECD has released a report on this policy area in mid-May 2020 and recent developments driven by the COVID pandemic are set out in a note on OECD investment policy responses to COVID-19. A more detailed background note to the webinar will be made available around a week prior to the webinar.

Discussants:

►   Andrew Deitz (Principal Advisor, Australian Treasury, Foreign Investment Division)

►   Carlo Pettinato (Head of Unit Investment, European Commission, DG Trade)

►   Bärbel Sachs (Partner, Noerr Berlin)

►   Winand Quaedvlieg (Business at OECD/BIAC)

Ana Novik, Head, OECD Investment Division will moderate the discussion. Joachim Pohl of the OECD Investment Division will present the main findings of the forthcoming research note.

The webinar is open to governments, policymakers, stakeholders and other interested participants. Prior registration is required.

REGISTRATION:https://meetoecd1.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DEEgxBHIQkWFTI7UqwkHBA

Should you have any questions, please contact Ms Kany Ondzotto (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Kind regards,

The OECD Investment Committee Secretariat.