Navigating supply chain disruptions : new survey evidence on the resilience and transformation of EU firms

This report relies on analysis of the data from two firm-level surveys: the EIB Investment Survey (EIBIS) and the Supply Chain Survey (SUCH). EIBIS is a survey, conducted annually by the European Investment Bank (EIB) since 2016, that gathers qualitative and quantitative information on investment activities of non-financial corporations, their financing requirements and the difficulties they face. The survey covers approximately 12 000 firms across the EU and 800 firms in the US. It provides unique information on corporate investment and investment finance of non-financial corporates in all EU countries and the US. Since 2022, the survey has also included questions on supply chain disruptions and strategies to address them. SUCH is a new survey, conducted by the EIB in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) of the European Commission, focusing on the supply chains of EU firms that import goods and services from other companies inside or outside the EU. The 2023 survey was carried out from May to October 2023 and covers approximately 1 100 importers across the EU. A large share of firms covered by SUCH are also included in EIBIS. SUCH provides unique information on the sourcing strategies of EU firms, the countries they trade with, the obstacles they face and the strategies they adopt to address supply chain disruptions. It is complementary to EIBIS, thanks to its focus on importers and the specific questions asked - for example, on the origin of trade partners, the use of tailor-made inputs or the factors determining the substitution of suppliers. The SUCH survey will be conducted annually, with a subset of questions evolving to reflect the changing nature of trade disruptions.