Robin Smail, who holds both UK and Irish nationality, has nearly 30 years’ experience of working with regional economic development and EU Structural Funds. He currently runs his own consultancy and training company, working across the EU.  An economist by training, he worked in the Evaluation Division of the Scottish Development Agency/Scottish Enterprise, with responsibilities for project and investment appraisal, as well as the regeneration of a post-industrial region of Scotland.  In the 1990s, he worked as a Seconded National Expert in DG Regional Policy – responsible for technical assistance for the ENVIREG programme of EU co-financed investments in waste water, solid waste and water supply infrastructure. He was subsequently Director of the Yorkshire & Humberside representative office in Brussels and later Associate Director with a leading communications company (Hill & Knowlton, Brussels). Robin worked for EIPA from 2003 to 2011. As an Expert in EIPA, he published the Handbook “Managing Structural Funds”, and developed training on all aspects of EU Funds, including the appraisal and evaluation of public capital investment projects and cost-benefit analyses. Robin also teaches macroeconomics for European institutions and other entities. 

“European economies are currently suffering from an acute lack of investment. At this event, we want to examine a number of the financing options that Member States have as they try to address their infrastructure needs and the investment gap” – Robin Smail