European Investment Bank (EIB)

Established in 1958 under the Treaty of Rome, the EIB is the EU’s long-term lending institution, providing money for various projects in order to finance viable capital projects which further EU objectives. The EIB’s shareholders are the 28 EU countries (1). Nearly 90% of EIB lending is to EU countries with the remainder dispersed, under the external lending mandate, to 150 partner-countries around the world.

The EIB Group, comprising the EIB and the European Investment Fund (EIF), was created in 2000 with a view to boosting lending to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The capital of the EIB was almost doubled between 2007 and 2009 in response to the financial crisis. The total subscribed capital of the EIB was €243 billion at 1st July 2013.

SEE ALSO

• Development cooperation
• Economic, social and territorial cohesion
• Enlargement
• Trans-European Networks (TENs)
• European Investment Bank website

(1) The United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union and becomes a third country (non-EU country) as of 1 February 2020.