The EU is not a private investor. Next to a great business proposition, the EU also cares about long term social, environmental and economic benefits in Europe with respects to climate change, a reduction in unemployment, boosting innovation, gender equality, integration of ethnic minorities, sustainability, infrastructure and facilitating the introduction of future technologies.
It is common to only focus on the ROI of the project but it is also very important to consider current issues in the EU (found in policies, directives, agreements …) and outline them in the application to make a stronger case.