This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.
- The 27 Member States endorse plan to increase new financing to record of up to €100 billion in 2025.
- Revised ceiling includes 3.5% of total financing for European security and defence. EIB Board also approves landmark project for construction of military base in Lithuania.
- EIB Group shareholders launch largest EU programme to fund Europe’s technological leadership and approve first wave of new instruments to support cleantech.
- EIF Board approves deal with German Export Credit Agency to provide a pan-European guarantee for companies trading with Ukraine.
The shareholders of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group, the EU Member States, approved a record-high financing ceiling of €100 billion for this year and new programmes to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, technological leadership and security.
The EIB Board of Governors, made up of European Union Finance Ministers, endorsed the 2025 financing ceiling at a meeting today in Luxembourg. The Boards of Directors of the EIB and of the European Investment Fund (EIF) gave the green light earlier this week to the increase in financing for security and defence, energy grids and the new TechEU programme to boost Europe’s technological leadership. They also approved flagship projects including to support Ukraine’s economy and the construction of a major military base in Lithuania.
“The unanimous support of our shareholders, the 27 Member States, for our proposals to provide record financing for defence, energy security and tech leadership, shows the key role of the EIB Group to support Europe’s strategic priorities,” said EIB Group President Nadia Calviño. “In a world where everything everywhere is changing all at once, the EU is a beacon of clarity, confidence and stability.”
The EIB Group’s new 2025 financing ceiling of €100 billion follows a mid-year review of the organisation’s operational plan, which includes an increase to 3.5% of total financing for the European security and defence sector, record financing of more than €11 billion for power grids and storage in Europe, and greater support for EU technological and industrial innovation.
TechEU programme
The EIB Group is launching the EU’s largest financing programme to date in support of innovation and tech leadership to attract talent, capital and investment in Europe. TechEU will provide €70 billion in EIB Group equity, quasi-equity, loans and guarantees in 2025-2027 and crowd in private capital to generate at least €250 billion in investments.
TechEU is complementing the “Startup and Scaleup Strategy” of the European Commission to support higher risk projects and innovative companies throughout their investment journey.
TechEU provides more support for supercomputing, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, critical raw materials, green industries such as offshore wind, health, security and defence technologies, robotics and advanced materials. It will target innovative companies at every stage of their development – from initial ideas to stock listings.
Clean Industrial Deal
The EIB Board has also approved the first wave of instruments under TechEU to support Europe’s leadership in cleantech, in line with the EU Clean Industrial Deal, including the reinforcement of cross guarantees for wind energy production, and three new instruments to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness:
- A €1.5 billion package to provide counter-guarantees through partner banks to grid component manufacturers to ensure sustainable supply, giving companies greater certainty to ramp up production of electricity networks across Europe. This will facilitate the integration of renewable energy into the grid and the delivery of affordable power to EU businesses and households.
- To help ensure predictable and affordable energy costs for businesses and accelerate investments in green energy, the EIB and European Commission are launching a €500 million pilot programme to support the take-up of more corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs). The EIB will counter-guarantee, through partner banks, part of the PPAs undertaken by mid-sized as well as larger energy-intensive companies for the long-term purchase of electricity generation from clean sources.
- To provide liquidity and working capital for highly innovative small and medium-sized enterprises active in developing green technologies, the EIB and Commission are launching a €250 million CleantechEU guarantee scheme.
- A €1.5 billion top-up to a successful EIB programme supporting European wind turbine and component manufacturers.
New chairs
Czech Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura will take over as new chair of the Board of Governors for one year with immediate effect.
“The EIB has a key role in supporting European priorities from defence to energy security or affordable housing,” said Czech Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura. “I am delighted to take over the chair of the Board of Governors. I look forward to working closely with President Calviño and other EU Finance Ministers to support the EIB, as it steps up its activities to help tackle the many challenges Europe is facing.”
“The EIB has impressively demonstrated its ability to support European objectives in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment and to effectively fulfil its increasing responsibilities in support of security and defence, green and digital transitions and economic growth in Europe, while safeguarding bank’s operational and financial position,” said Bulgarian Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova,who chaired the Board of Governors during the past 12 months. “I would like to express my appreciation to President Calviño, the institution and send my best wishes to the new chair, my dear colleague Zbyněk Stanjura.”
The Board of Governors also welcomed Katja Pluto as new chair of the Audit Committee, succeeding Nuno Gracias Fernandes. In addition, the Audit Committee presented its annual report.
Energy security, defence and global partnerships
Before the Board of Governors, this week’s EIB and EIF Boards of Directors approved new operations totalling €12.8 billion to strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities, competitiveness, energy security and partnerships worldwide. This includes initiatives under the EIB Group Clean Industrial Deal package and support for the development in Lithuania of the Rūdninkai military base, for the German Bundeswehr brigade, a key project to enhance North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations and regional security.
The EIB Board approved three solar photovoltaic plants in Romania, water infrastructure in Ireland and the Netherlands, electricity grids in Germany and education facilities in Finland. In addition, the EIB is strengthening Europe’s global partnerships by backing renewable energy in Colombia, sustainable waterway transport in Nigeria and water sanitation services in Tanzania.
The European Investment Fund (EIF) Board approved a guarantee transaction with the German national export credit agency to strengthen support for German companies exporting to Ukraine, as well as two guarantee transactions with Ukrainian banks to improve access to finance for more than 1,500 Ukrainian businesses. This follows the first signature in May with the Danish Export Credit Agency to provide a pan-European guarantee for companies exporting to Ukraine.
In addition, the EIF approved investments in four infrastructure funds that will support greenfield data centres, wireless and fibre investments, decarbonization of the shipping sector, sustainable mobility, and student housing.
Statements around the EIB Board of Governors will be available on EBS.
Google drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nm1iGET0KpY3RWzFJNa3ORZYoNZer0cC/view?usp=drive_link
Background information
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. The EIB finances investments in eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.
By fostering market integration and mobilising investment, the Group supported a record of over €100 billion in new investment for Europe’s energy security in 2024 and mobilised €110 billion in growth capital for startups, scale-ups and European pioneers. Approximately half of the EIB’s financing within the EU targets cohesion regions, where per-capita income is below the EU average, while almost 60% of annual EIB Group investments supports climate action and environmental sustainability.
High-quality, up-to-date photos of the organisation’s headquarters for media use are available here.
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