- EIB Group’s leadership holds two-day talks in Polish capital, meets government officials ahead of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the EU
- Boards of Directors’ talks focused on EIB Group’s contribution to a deeper capital markets union, in line with Eurogroup mandate
- Poland’s national promotional bank BGK joins forces with EIB Group to support venture capital and private equity investments in innovative companies across Central and Eastern Europe.
The Boards of Directors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) gathered in Warsaw on 30 September and 1 October, to meet local authorities and discuss new initiatives and financing instruments that will help channel savings into productive investment for the benefit of Europe’s economies. In meetings with Polish officials, EIB Group President Nadia Calviño reiterated that the EU’s financial arm is ready to support reconstruction works in the aftermath of the recent catastrophic floods, and further scale up the financing for climate resilience projects in Poland and Central Europe.
Ahead of Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025, representatives of the EIB Group’s leadership held exchanges with Poland’s Finance Minister Andrzej Domański and Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, focused on delivering vital investments that will strengthen growth and improve infrastructure adaptation to climate change. The EIB Group delegation also visited the Warsaw metro, a project which received financial support from the Bank, improving quality of life for the residents and visitors to the Polish capital. The EIF - EIB Group’s risk-finance subsidiary - signed a new agreement in Warsaw with the national promotion banks of Poland (BGK) and the Czech Republic (NRB/NRI) aimed at supporting innovators through a dedicated venture capital fund.
“On behalf of the EIB Group, I have conveyed our solidarity with the Polish people affected by the recent floods, and our readiness to further support resilience and adaptation projects now and in the future,” said President Calviño. “The Boards of the EIB Group also held a positive discussion about new initiatives that would serve as building blocks for a deeper capital markets union in order to better channel savings into productive investments and to benefit Europe’s economies. The blueprint agreement we signed in Warsaw for the Three Seas Initiative Innovation Fund can show us the way forward.”
Capital Markets Union
Following a mandate by EU finance ministers last March for the EIB Group to explore new instruments to further facilitate access to financing for small and medium-sized business and innovators, the Directors meeting in Warsaw discussed how the EIB Group can support the development of a well-functioning cross-border capital markets. Pioneering a deeper capital markets union, and channelling savings into productive investment by crowding in private financing is among the eight core priorities of the EIB Group’s Strategic Roadmap, which was endorsed by the Bank’s shareholders in June.
Setting a blueprint of how such innovative instruments can work, the promotional institutions BGK of Poland and NRI of the Czech Republic this week became the anchor investors joining an initiative led by the EIF to support growth-stage companies in Central and Eastern Europe. The Three Seas Initiative (3SI) Innovation Fund will invest in private equity, venture capital and private credit funds to mobilize some €1 billion of new financing and bolster business growth in the region.
EU leaders committed, in April 2024, to advancing work without delay toward integrating Europe’s capital markets. Finance ministers are scheduled to hold a stock-taking discussion on agreed initiatives when they meet in Luxembourg next week, including on measures to step up financing for medium-sized companies.
Support for Warsaw
With around €2 billion in EIB Group investment, the city of Warsaw highlights how the preferential financing offered by the EU’s financial arm can have a transformative impact for urban development. On top of greener public transport, where the EIB has financed trains and trams, as well as the metro, Warsaw received support for water supply projects, social housing and other sustainable growth initiatives.
“I am happy that our EIB and EIF guests got to witness for themselves the multifaceted and rapid development of the city of Warsaw. We are carrying out extensive works to expand top-notch sustainable transport infrastructure, introduce solutions favourable for the climate, as well as stepping up investments in housing and education in our city. Direct funding by EU institutions to local governments is important in supporting strategic investments, including when times get hard as was the case under COVID and remains the case with Russia’s war against Ukraine,” said Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski.
The projects financed in Warsaw also illustrate the EIB Group’s contribution to Poland’s growth and development. Cumulative EIB Group support for investments in Poland has reached a total of nearly €100 billion since 1990. Last year, Poland was the fifth-largest beneficiary of EIB Group financing with flagship projects including the country’s first offshore wind farm, extensive grid modernisation by utility Enea and support for development of cancer detection technology by early-stage, highly innovative company SDS Optic.
Earlier this year, the EIB has revamped its framework for lending to Europe’s security and defence industry to step up investments solidifying safety and peace. An agreement signed last May to support Poland’s satellite programme with a €300-mln-euro loan was the first operation under the EIB Group’s new Action Plan. Poland’s Finance Ministry also hosted on 18 September the EIB’s first-ever workshop designed to present to SMEs the new offer of increased financing for dual-use technologies
General information
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances sound investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed a total of €88 billion in new financing for over 900 projects in 2023. These commitments are expected to mobilise around €320 billion in investment, supporting 400,000 companies and 5.4 million jobs. Over half of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment. Approximately half of the EIB's financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower. This underscores the Bank's commitment to fostering inclusive growth and the convergence of living standards across the bloc.
Press contacts
Gabriela Baczyńska | g.baczynska@eib.org | +48 502 355 634
EIB website: www.eib.org/press – Press Office: +352 4379 21000 – press@eib.org