About: EIB
Repayable support: no silver bullet but a means to tackle EU funds graft
Increasing the role of loans and guarantees utilised to narrow the disparities between European regions may help combat the misuse of EU funds but cannot replace the role of accountability, transparency and sound domestic institutions.
Which technologies should be in the EU’s climate action toolbox?
Experts disagree about which technologies should be used to meet the EU’s climate change targets.
EU bank approves €1 trln green lending plan
European Union governments approved a €1 trillion green "roadmap" for the bloc's lending arm on Wednesday (11 November) that will see it stop financing fossil fuel projects and airport expansions, though climate groups said it did not go far enough.
EU bank mulls ban on cash for airport expansions
The European Investment Bank (EIB) could withdraw support for new airports, according to a draft climate roadmap seen by EURACTIV. However, the bank is set to keep funding motorways, as well as approving investments under the old rules until 2022.
‘There is overlap’ between EU’s green trillions, says EIB energy chief
The European Investment Bank (EIB) decided to scrub its loan books of fossil fuels in 2019 but the lender's head of energy policy, Andrew McDowell, insists that there is more to the change of direction than ditching coal and gas.
EU bank rides out Brexit impact ‘surprisingly well’, says EIB chief
Economic uncertainty caused by the UK’s imminent EU departure did not stop the European Investment Bank (EIB) having a record-breaking year in 2019, according to the bank’s president. Werner Hoyer said that the lender dealt with it “surprisingly well”.
Turkey’s railways set for EBRD boost
Europe’s Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) expects to increase its €1 billion of investment in Turkey in the coming year, with railways slated to get a funding boost.
Ex-finance minister: Gentiloni’s SDG-oversight will be ‘key’
Italy's former finance minister Domenico Siniscalco insists that sustainable finance is going from strength to strength and that it will hold the key to effectively combating climate change. He also believes that compatriot Paolo Gentiloni will play a crucial role.
EU climate investment falls behind China and the US
The European Union continues to lag behind in terms of ‘green’ investment compared with China and the US, the EIB warned on Tuesday (26 November). The lender said that financing should increase by one-third to achieve a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.
EU bank brokers late-night deal to phase out fossil fuels
The European Investment Bank (EIB) decided on Thursday (14 November) to end financial support for fossil fuels from 2021, after marathon talks ended in a compromise that has been hailed as “a significant victory” for green policies.
Germany to sit out decisive EIB vote as fossil fuel row continues
Germany is preparing to abstain from a vote on the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) future energy lending policy on Thursday (14 November). Internal government disputes continue to scuttle attempts to form a common position on scrapping fossil fuel funding.
EU bank tees up fossil fuel compromise ahead of crucial vote
The European Investment Bank will decide on Thursday (14 November) whether or not to purge its loan books of fossil fuel projects. All signs point to the EU lender striking a compromise with Germany and Italy which want more leeway for new gas projects.
Why we should back the EIB on ambitious energy policy
As part of putting the Paris Agreement into action, the EU and its Member States should back the European Investment Bank’s proposal to cease fossil investments, writes Sir Graham Watson.
Sustainable finance drive can help address EU’s political challenges
Sustainability and inclusivity have correctly been placed as guiding principles for Europe’s finance policy. The next few months – with decisions on the EIB and the start of a new European Commission – will be decisive in order to put those principles into action, write Tom Jess and Sandrine Dixon-Declève.
‘Almost impossible’ to rival China’s business clout in Central Asia
“China is coming with an offer nobody can refuse, while the EU is coming with an offer nobody can understand." For many in Central Asia, that phrase – although intended as a joke – best summarises the European way of doing business.
Will Germany block EIB plans to ditch natural gas?
The European Investment Bank wants to purge its loan books of fossil fuels, including natural gas, by 2020. Although the Bank's final decision is expected to be delivered on 15 October, resistance, especially from Germany, is brewing. EURACTIV Germany reports.
EIB begins metamorphosis into climate bank
European Investment Bank (EIB) directors will begin discussing on Tuesday (10 September) an updated lending policy which could see the EU bank stop funding fossil fuel projects. But some member states and even the European Commission might push for a more reserved approach.
EU countries urged to see ‘opportunity in climate change’
Climate change should be seen as an opportunity not a threat but the tools at the EU’s disposal need to be changed to deal with the coming challenge, according to officials, MEPs and climate experts.
Banking on the energy transformation
In the last five years, the European Investment Bank (EIB) provided over €50 billion in clean energy investments in Europe and around the world. As a new cycle opens, Andrew McDowell explains the key principles that will underpin the EIB’s future lending policy.
Time for EU bank to comply with EU’s climate objectives
As the European Investment Bank (EIB) holds a meeting in Brussels today (25 February) to consult the public on its new energy policy, Wendel Trio reflects on the role the EU’s bank should have in tackling the climate crisis.
UK revealed as EU champion of fossil fuel subsidies
The United Kingdom spends the most in the EU on subsidising fossil fuels, according to a new report by the European Commission, which also found that EU-wide payments have failed to decrease despite the bloc’s commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change.
COP24 diary – day #10
Over this special series on COP24, EURACTIV gives you a glimpse into the goings on of the UN climate conference in Katowice and what is driving the conversation there. In this edition: coal bonanza at the EIB, roaming COP24, German 'nein', Fijian drum beat, and more.
Venture capital with a difference: targeting Africa’s ‘missing middle’
The 'missing middle' of the financial services spectrum in much of sub-Saharan Africa means that start-ups are unable to find the investment they need to grow. But venture capital firms are looking at companies that target the low-income mass market.