Greece gets record-high EIB Group financing of €3.5 billion in 2025 with focus on climate action, water networks, business growth and raw materials

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

• EIB Group financing in Greece rises 59% to record €3.5 billion in 2025
• Focus on climate action, water systems, business development and critical raw materials
• Greece ranks among top EU beneficiaries of EIB Group support

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group’s new financing in Greece rose to a record €3.5 billion (including European resources) in 2025 on the back of stepped-up support for climate action, water networks and business growth in the country. The 59% year-on-year increase also expanded student housing and strengthened materials manufacturing in Greece.

Of the total, €3.2 billon came from the EIB and €271 million were from the European Investment Fund (EIF), which targets small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe. The EIB Group’s financing in Greece last year increased from €2.2 billion in 2024.

Top projects in 2025 include an EIB loan of €500 million for sustainable infrastructure in cities and towns as well as EIB credits and guarantees totalling €950 million for the financing of a range of companies in Greece. Other highlights are EIB loans of €250 million for water upgrades in the Attica region where Athens is located, €95 million for student housing on Crete and €90 million for a boost in supplies of two raw materials that are critical for modern economies: bauxite and gallium.

“2025 marked a milestone in the partnership between Greece and the EIB Group. The record level of €3.5 billion in financing underscores our strong confidence in the country and in its role at the centre of Europe’s future. We are proud that, in 2025 and with the support of the EIB, Greece became the first and only country in Europe to establish gallium production, reinforcing its industrial ecosystem and contributing decisively to the robustness of Europe’s strategic value chains.”said EIB Vice-President Yannis Tsakiris. The EIB’s commitment to Greece is broad, deep and long-term, spanning infrastructure, energy, water, housing, innovation and entrepreneurship. Together, we are shaping a stronger, more resilient and more competitive Greece within a stronger Europe.”

“Today, when we refer to the European Investment Bank, we are not simply talking about a European financing institution operating in Greece. We are talking about a partner that helps the country move from crisis management to shaping solutions for the future. We have come a long way together. And now we are entering a phase of acceleration. Greece is transforming its productive model. Europe is seeking resilience and strategic autonomy. Αnd our cooperation with the EIB stands precisely at the point where these two paths converge. In 2026, we will do even more. We will move faster, we will invest more strategically and we will go even further.” said Minister of Economy and Finance and President of Eurogroup Kyriakos Pierrakakis

The EIB Group’s financing in Greece last year represented about 1% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and is projected to mobilise overall investments of more than €9.2 billion, or 3.7% of GDP.

The support averaged around €870 per inhabitant, making Greece among the top beneficiaries in the European Union in relation to GDP.

Water, materials, energy and transport

EIB Group financing last year in Greece for climate action and environmental sustainability totalled around €1.7 billion. The €250 million EIB loan was to water utility EYDAP for upgrading supply infrastructure for more than 4 million people in Attica.

The EIB loan of €90 million went to industrial company Metlen Energy & Metals for bolstering its mining in Greece of bauxite – a key material for making aluminium – and for developing a facility in the country to produce gallium, which is used in the electronics industry for such goods as semiconductors and computer chips. The project marks Europe’s first EIB-backed gallium facility and supports the “European Critical Raw Materials Act” aimed at securing supplies of goods essential for economic advances driven by green energy and digital technologies.

In the area of energy last year, the EIB lent Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator €288 million for a project to connect the northeastern Aegean islands of Chios, Lemnos, Lesvos, Samos and Skyros with the mainland grid.  

In the transport sector, the EIB provided up to €17.5 million in venture debt to electric-vehicle charging operator Joltie to develop a network of EV stations in Greece.

Business boost

The EIB loans and guarantees totalling €950 million last year went to Alpha Bank, National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank to support fresh financing for SMEs and Mid-Caps across the country. These operations are expected to mobilise almost €2 billion in the form of working capital lines, investment loans and leasing financing for businesses.

For its part in 2025, the EIF made equity investments exceeding €220 million through nine operations in Greece. This included further support to venture capital and private equity funds under a Greek fund-of-funds initiative called EquiFund II. The EIF also signed €49 million in guarantee agreements with Greek banks – deals that are projected to mobilise around €340 million in financing for SMEs.

 Urban and social infrastructure

The €500 million EIB loan for Greek urban infrastructure expanded municipalities’ access to long-term financing. The aim is to improve essential public services and spur urban regeneration under Greece’s “Antonis Tritsis” programme, which is named after a late Greek politician and urban planner.

The EIB loan of €95 million for student housing is part of a project to build energy-efficient dormitories at the University of Crete. This reflects EIB efforts to alleviate an acute shortage in Greece of affordable student accommodation.

EIB advisory services

The EIB Group’s activity in Greece last year extended to advisory services.

Flagship initiatives in 2025 include assistance to six Greek cities in advancing green goals, the completion of climate-risk assessments for the ports of Volos, Alexandroupoli and Patras to guide infrastructure planning and support for the decarbonisation of Greek islands.

Background information

About EIB

The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering 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.   

All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.   

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 is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower than the EU average.