The EU’s cohesion policy aims to help each region achieve its full potential, to bring about a convergence of living standards and prosperity across the EU. It is a policy of investment in job creation, competitiveness, economic growth, improved quality of life and sustainable territorial development. These investments support the delivery of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Promoting economic and social cohesion is one of EIB’s priorities. The EIB helps to deliver growth, jobs and cohesion in Europe by supporting the implementation of EU regional policy. Through a mixture of loans and advisory services, the EIB plays a critical role in addressing regional economic imbalances and raising living standards across the EU. In 2017, the EIB’s support in Cohesion Priority Regions within the EU accounted for 29.6% of lending. The public-private partnership for the development and expansion of 14 Greek regional airports and the multi-sector framework loan supporting investment schemes in Andalusia are just some of the projects financed by the EIB in this area.