Belt and Road Initiative trends in the European Union and Iran
Zuzana Borovská
Abstract
As a turning point in the functioning of the world economy so far, we can consider the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), led under the auspices of China (PRC), which promises to establish a world trade order and transport and logistics networks be-tween Asia and Europe. Aim of the presented article is to identify current BRI trends in the EU and Iran. Through analyses of the presence of Chinese BRI investments in EU countries involved in the BRI project, the author found that most Chinese BRI investments are monitored in Italy, Luxembourg and Portugal. The presence of Chi-nese capital in the EU is particularly evident in the energy sector, transport and in the financial sector. Author also identified declining trend of the inflow of BRI foreign investments of the PRC to EU countries in the monitored period. In the case of the Iranian economy, an analysis of the available data revealed that Chinese BRI in-vestments are mainly presented in sectors such as transport, energy and utilities.
Key words: Belt and Road Initiative, BRI trends, European Union, Iran
JEL Classification: F10, F21, F50
Received: 3.3.2021 Accepted: 15.3.2021