History of the EIB

Establishment of the European Investment Bank. Founded in 1958 by the Treaty of Rome, the EIB was first located in Brussels (Belgium).

Appointment of the members of the first management committee; start of Pietro Campilli’s term of office as President.

First EIB loan. The final beneficiaries of this transaction, carried out jointly with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, were three Italian companies: Sincat and Celene (to build a large petrochemical complex in Sicily), and Mercure (to exploit a seam of lignite in Lucania to produce electricity).

Start of the presidency of Paride Formentini.

Launch of first EIB borrowing operation.

Authorisation to finance projects outside the European Community. This marked the beginning of the extension of EIB’s activities around the globe to support emerging and developing economies also in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Installation of the bank in Luxembourg. The first Luxembourgish headquarters were established in the Place de Metz.

Inauguration of the first external office in Rome, in addition to the existing office in Brussels.

Start of the presidency of Yves Le Portz.

New Member States join EC: Denmark, Ireland, United Kingdom.

Issue of the first borrowing operation in eurco, a new borrowing unit. According to the bank, “the eurco provides investors with a new instrument for investing their savings that spreads their risk between all the currencies of the EEC according to an appropriate weighting, which should thereby offer greater stability in the value of their investments.”

Move to the new Kirchberg building, currently known as the West building. The Kirchberg building’s first phase (1974-80) was designed by British architect Sir Denys Lasdun and is one of his few works outside the UK.

Greece joins the EIB.

First borrowing operation in ECU. This cartoon by Plantu, from March 1979, published in Le Monde, refers to the launch of the ECU, a ship created to sail on the stormy seas of the international monetary system.

Start of the presidency of Ernst-Günther Bröder.

Spain and Portugal join the Bank.

Decision to finance projects in Poland and Hungary.

Participation as a founding member of the EBRD. Partnering with others is an important feature of the Bank’s operations. After the fall of the Berlin wall, the EIB quickly began providing financing to the Eastern European countries.

Authorisation for operations in South Africa. 10 years later, the EIB office for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean was inaugurated in Pretoria.

Extension of the bank’s activity to the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, Bulgaria and Romania.

Extension of the bank's activities to Latin American and Asian countries.

Start of the presidency of Sir Brian Unwin.

Extension of the bank’s activity to Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania).

Establishment of the European Investment Fund. The logo adopted by the EIF in 1994 depicts a bridge symbolising the link between public and private financing.

Authorisation for operations in Gaza and the West Bank. A 250-bedroom international-class hotel was co-financed by the EIB in Bethlehem in 1998, the first facility in this category in Palestine.

Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EIB.

First borrowing operation in euros. This first transaction took place over a year before the new European currency was launched on 1 January 1999. The lead managers of the issuing syndicate were the Caisse des dépôts et consignations, Paribas and Warburg.

Launch of the pre-accession facility for countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Cyprus.

The EIB adopts new logo, intended to embody the idea that the Bank is investing in Europe's future, nurturing the European Union's objectives. It also aims to emphasise the idea of partnership, which underpins our activities.

Start of the presidency of Philippe Maystadt.

Creation of the EIB Group. The European Investment Bank (EIB) becomes majority shareholder of the European Investment Fund (EIF). The EIF becomes EIB Group’s specialist arm for providing risk capital.

European Council of Gothenburg: the EIB is asked to promote the sustainable development strategy. Since 2002, the EIB and the European Commission are coordinating their efforts in this field.

Launch of the investment facility of the Cotonou Agreement. The EIB’s activity in the Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) is increasingly targeted at reducing poverty and stimulating sustainable growth, in particular through the development of the private sector.

New Member States join the bank Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia.

EU mandate for operations in Russia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.

New Member States join the bank: Bulgaria and Romania 

The EIB issued the first Climate Awareness Bonds on the capital markets, the world’s first Green Bonds. The funds raised are earmarked to match disbursements to EIB lending projects in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency. 

Inauguration of the EIB’s new building, known as the East building. The transparency of the new glasshouse complements the low, cruciform West building.

Adoption of EIB’s Environmental and Social Handbook, setting the guidelines to include environmental concerns and human well-being in our projects. The promotion of sustainable development underpins our lending strategy.

Start of the presidency of Werner Hoyer.

Croatia joins the EIB.

Launch of the European Fund for Strategic Investments by the European Commission and the EIB. Part of the Investment Plan for Europe, it initially aimed to mobilise €315 billion and was then extended to €500 billion by 2020. Over the years, thousands of projects benefitted from its financing, making Europe more modern, social and green.

The European Council welcomes the EIB’s Economic Resilience Initiative, a new initiative to support regions outside of Europe that are significantly affected by the refugee crisis through investments in favour of growth, jobs, vital infrastructure and social cohesion.

The EIB Group adopts the Climate Bank Roadmap, its ambitious plan for the future of the planet. The roadmap outlines our bold ambitions for climate finance to back the European Green Deal and make Europe carbon-neutral. The EIB also revises its Energy Lending Policy, becoming the first international finance institution to end financing for fossil fuel projects and to focus its support on projects that are fully aligned with the Paris Agreement.

The United Kingdom officially departs from the European Union, consequently ending its membership of the European Investment Bank.

As the world struggles with COVID-19, Europe is both heavily affected by the pandemic and at the forefront of combatting it. The EIB Group is instrumental in dealing with its impact, while reassuring a green and inclusive recovery.

EIB Global is founded. This new branch brings all EIB resources to bear on its operations outside the European Union with a structure designed to foster strong, focused partnerships with Team Europe.

Russia invades Ukraine. The EIB Group strongly condemns the unjustified attack, expressing its solidarity with the people of Ukraine. In just one month, we disbursed €668 million for immediate assistance to Ukrainian authorities. Learn more about how we stand with Ukraine and its neighbouring EU countries.

The European Investment Bank unveils its new logo. The new logo embodies our role as the EU bank. The flag highlights the Bank's status as a member of the EU family. The distinctive shape of the Bank's main building represents the uniqueness of our role.

Start of the presidency of Nadia Calviño.