A shift from aid to investment
The world faces enormous challenges. Poverty, inequality, environmental degradation and climate change are among them. The EIB helps countries and emerging economies find innovative solutions to promote sustainable growth, reduce poverty and inequalities, and improve people’s lives.
For more than 40 years, the EIB has been operating as the EU’s development arm outside the European Union. Connections between the economies of Europe and the rest of the world are increasingly close. Events around the globe such as the global forced displacement crisis and climate change can have a significant effect on Europe. So it’s important for Europe to promote its principles, values and objectives and contribute to stable growth in the countries beyond its borders.
At the EIB, we believe in international cooperation to ensure the interests of the poorest countries and people are at the centre of global decision-making and action.
Together, we need to support a shift from aid to investment, from poverty to prosperity.
Our impact by the numbers
We create good jobs in rural areas, more clean energy, fighting deforestation and climate change,provide clean water and sanitation and improve road journey times on sustainable urban transport in developing countries. We work hard to ensure that our investments have a major impact. Our new projects outside the EU in the last five years (2014-2018) will result in
41.1 million
people
benefit from clean water and sanitation
45.3 million
households
benefit from electricity
1.3 million
tonnes of CO2
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
2.3 million
jobs
sustained in small businesses and mid-cap firms
We improve lives outside of the EU
We devote a big part of our resources each year to investments outside the EU:
Southern Neighbours, Africa, Pre-Accession Countries, Eastern Neighbours,
Caribbean and Pacific countries, Asia and Latin America.
Solving real problems
Actions speak louder than words.
Here’s how we bring effective solutions to address today’s most pressing global challenges
Safer drinking water
Challenge: In Cambodia, only 1 out of 4 people use safely managed drinking water From a source on premises, available when needed and free of contamination
Solution: A water treatment plant financed by the EIB that provides clean water to 2.5 million Cambodians
Access to finance for women
Challenge: Women are overrepresented among the world’s unbanked. About 980 million do not have an account, 56 percent of all unbanked adults globally
Solution: The EIB launched Sheinvest, a new initiative to mobilise € 1 billion of investment that can benefit millions of women across Africa with better access to finance
Our goals
We put special emphasis on areas that are critical to sustainable development
in less advanced economies.
Climate change
We dedicate at least 35% of our loans outside the European Union to projects that have a climate security component.
Contribution to the following sustainable development goals:
Resilient infrastructures
The bank focuses on transport infrastructure, energy efficiency and renewable energy infrastructure, development of social and urban infrastructure.
Contribution to the following sustainable development goals:
Economic resilience, growth and jobs
The EIB set up the “Economic Resilience Initiative” and the “ACP Migration Package” to support countries of origin, transit and destination of migrants in North Africa, the Middle East, the Western Balkans and Sub-Saharan Africa, respectively.
Contribution to the following sustainable development goals:
Gender equality
Gender equality and women’s economic empowerment drive inclusive and sustainable development. The EIB works to protect the rights of women, invest specifically in women entrepreneurship and enhance the impact of its operations.
Contribution to the following sustainable development goals:
In the spotlight
Meet the people behind our projects. Discover real stories.
Our financing and advisory tools
Delivering innovative finance and advice for people, planet & prosperity
Offering loans, guarantees, equity investments to clients of all sizes
Offering technical and financial expertise for our clients
Making a lasting difference in developing countries
Further reading
Discover how our projects help tackle global challenges