The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group was very active in France in 2019, directly or indirectly granting almost €8.5 billion in long-term financing to the private and public sectors. This included €6.9 billion from the EIB and €1.6 billion from SME-focused subsidiary the European Investment Fund (EIF). For the entire institution, France was the third biggest beneficiary country of EIB financing last year behind Spain and Italy.

In terms of the EIB’s four main investment priorities (infrastructure, innovation, environment and SMEs), France stood out for the importance of climate action loans, which accounted for 47% of volumes in 2019, but also for the large share of financing directed to innovation (€2 billion or 28%).

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group was very active in France in 2019, directly or indirectly granting almost €8.5 billion in long-term financing to the private and public sectors. This included €6.9 billion from the EIB and €1.6 billion from SME-focused subsidiary the European Investment Fund (EIF). For the entire institution, France was the third biggest beneficiary country of EIB financing last year behind Spain and Italy.

In terms of the EIB’s four main investment priorities (infrastructure, innovation, environment and SMEs), France stood out for the importance of climate action loans, which accounted for 47% of volumes in 2019, but also for the large share of financing directed to innovation (€2 billion or 28%).