INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, EU-China trade relations are perceived as a potential source of economic growth for China as well as for EU countries. For a long time, these relations were treated as a source of profit mainly for China. Recently, this situation has changed as now access to the Chinese market is also a source of significant profit for EU entrepreneurs. Despite struggles faced in the high level trade and economic dialogue, China and EU have become more and more important trade partners to each other in recent years. Th us undertaking and conducting commercial activity by Chinese investors in the EU and EU investors in China are the most important factor to sustain the important role which the EU plays for China as a source of technology and China plays for the EU as a source of increasing foreign investments. Chinese investments in the EU, especially purchasing by Chinese investors of bonds issued by the EU Member States, is considered as an important factor in solving problems which have occurred as a result of the European crisis. At the end of 2012 China had almost 2,000 companies directly investing in the EU which provided around 42,000 jobs for local employees. Over the years different groups of EU Member States have been key recipients of Chinese FDI. For example in 2012, France was the biggest destination of Chinese investments in Europe. A total 21 % of Chinese investments in Europe were located in France. Another important investment destination for Chinese investors was Hungary. Nevertheless, one may say that there has been a general tendency in this field, since 2008, that in particular years the Big Th ree (France, Germany and UK) or Southern Europe (Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain) were the key recipients of Chinese FDI, with an exception in 2010 when the key recipient of Chinese FDI was Northern Europe (Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden). In the EU-China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation investments are perceived as a major engine driving both parties'respective economic development and innovation. The high importance of investments in EU-China relations led to negotiations for the Investment Agreement starting in 2013.