EIB Unleashes €100bn Firepower to Boost Europe’s Growth, Security and Autonomy

EIB Group President Nadia Calviño said Europe has the scale, talent and values to lead globally—but must act decisively.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is deploying a record €100 billion a year to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, security and strategic autonomy, marking the largest annual financing effort in its history as the continent accelerates investment in the green transition, innovation, defence and social infrastructure.

New results from the EIB Group’s 2025 activities show historic highs in funding for clean energy, digital technologies, security and defence, affordable housing, agriculture and global partnerships, positioning the EU’s bank as a central driver of Europe’s economic resilience in a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.

EIB Group President Nadia Calviño said Europe has the scale, talent and values to lead globally—but must act decisively.

She said the EIB Group is backing Europe’s ambitions with concrete investment that delivers prosperity, security and strategic autonomy for citizens, while reinforcing European values at home and abroad.

Driving the green and digital transition

Nearly 60% of EIB Group financing in 2025 supported green projects, ranging from major electricity grids and interconnectors to renewable energy, energy storage, industrial decarbonisation and climate adaptation. A record €11.6 billion was invested in grids and storage alone, helping secure Europe’s power supply and enabling the construction or upgrade of 56,000 kilometres of power lines across the continent.

EIB-backed financing supported one in five new solar installations, one in three onshore wind projects and the majority of offshore wind developments in Europe last year. Record investment in energy efficiency is also expected to reduce costs for households and small businesses, with the EIB Group supporting around one third of the EU’s total energy transition investment in 2025.

Alongside clean energy, the EIB Group is scaling up support for homegrown innovation in artificial intelligence, health and biotech, semiconductors, digital infrastructure and critical raw materials. Through TechEU, its largest-ever innovation financing programme, the Group aims to mobilise at least €250 billion by 2027, ensuring European ideas and companies can grow and compete globally.

The European Investment Fund (EIF), the Group’s venture and SME arm, delivered nearly €16 billion in guarantees and equity financing, accounting for close to a quarter of all venture capital raised by European funds in 2025. Expansion of the European Tech Champions Initiative is expected to further accelerate scale-ups and unicorn creation.

Strengthening security and defence

In response to growing geopolitical risks, EIB Group investment in security and defence quadrupled to more than €4 billion, covering military infrastructure, advanced radar and avionics, cybersecurity, space capabilities and seabed protection.

The Group is also catalysing private-sector financing for defence supply chains, supporting SMEs through partnerships with commercial banks and anchoring venture capital funds focused on defence technologies with pan-European reach.

Supporting Europe’s social and economic foundations

More than half of EIB Group EU financing went to cohesion regions, reaching a record high and reinforcing Europe’s economic convergence. Investment in affordable and sustainable housing rose to over €5 billion, supporting social housing, student accommodation, hospitals and schools across multiple member states.

Financing for agriculture and the bioeconomy reached nearly €8 billion, strengthening food security, rural livelihoods and opportunities for young and new farmers facing access-to-finance barriers.

Building global partnerships

Beyond the EU, the EIB Group deployed more than €9 billion through EIB Global, including record investment in water infrastructure and continued large-scale support for Ukraine, where total financing has now exceeded €4 billion since Russia’s invasion.

The Group says it is also transforming how it works—streamlining processes, introducing one-stop shops and accelerating approvals to ensure businesses, innovators and public authorities can access financing faster.

With unprecedented funding now available, the EIB Group is encouraging early adopters—from clean-tech manufacturers and defence suppliers to housing developers, startups, utilities and local authorities—to engage early, scale ambitious projects and help shape Europe’s next phase of growth, security and global leadership.