The EU and the EIB will support businesses in partner countries with €1.3 billion in funding

Following a new agreement between the European Commission and EIB Global, private project partners, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and financial institutions in the EU’s partner countries will have access to €1.3 billion in funding to support infrastructure projects in clean energy and digitalisation. This new initiative is backed by a €362 million guarantee from the EU’s ERDF, which will benefit companies and banks in the Western Balkans (€99 million), the Eastern Neighbourhood (€30 million), Turkey (€22.5 million) and the Middle East and North Africa (€210 million) over the next three years.

The agreement will strengthen ties between the EU and its neighbouring countries, improve energy security and create local jobs. At the same time, it will support the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, the Mediterranean Pact and its connectivity and enlargement agenda. It also represents an important step towards achieving theEIB’s Global Strategic Orientation. 

The Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, said:“This agreement further strengthens cooperation between the EU and the EIB to provide financial support for investments under the Pact for the Mediterranean. Together, we will be able to develop projects in key sectors, such as renewable energy, water and digital projects, whilst creating business opportunities for local and European companies.”

Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said:“Through our partnership with the EIB, we are delivering on what matters most to our partner countries: greater investment in infrastructure, better access to finance for small businesses, and faster progress on the energy and digital transitions. This is how enlargement translates into concrete benefits for citizens and businesses.”

“This agreement reflects the European way of building bridges based on mutual benefit and shared prosperity,”saidAndrew McDowell, CEO of EIB Global.“By working closely with the European Commission, we are transforming public guarantees into private investment that strengthens energy security, supports small businesses and accelerates the green and digital transitions. Together, we are bringing accession candidate countries and neighbouring countries closer to the EU, creating jobs and making a real difference to people’s lives.”

The package will include:

• It will benefit key value chains such as textiles and agri-food, as well as innovative, green and social projects in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans. EIB Global will channel this support through €482 million in financingfor local banks.
• To help attract more private investment in green and digital transition projects in the Western Balkans, €167 million in guarantees will reduce risks for financial intermediaries and thus boost lending for clean energy, energy efficiency and digitalisation projects in the region.
• The EIB will provide up to €691 million in financing for major connectivity and renewable energy projects in the Southern Neighbourhood, the Western Balkans and Turkey.

General information  

Global Gateway is the EU’s forward-looking proposal to reduce the global investment gap and boost smart, clean and secure connections in the digital, energy and transport sectors, as well as to strengthen health, education and research systems.This strategy is based on a ‘Team Europe’ approach that brings together the European Union, EU Member States and European development finance institutions. Together, they aim to mobilise up to €300 billion in public and private investment between 2021 and 2027, creating essential links rather than dependencies and narrowing the global investment gap.

The European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD) was established in June 2021 and is a key tool of the EU’s Global Gateway initiative. The EFSD provides grants and guarantees for investment projects through international financial institutions (IFIs) and has a total guarantee capacity of €39.8 billion for the period 2021–2027.

EIB Group

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financial arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the world’s largest multilateral development banks. In 2025, the EIB Group signed agreements worth €100 billion in new financing and advisory services for more than 870high-impact projectsacrosseight key prioritiesthat supportthe EU’s policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships, and the savings and investment union. In addition to long-term loans for major infrastructure projects, the EIB Group drives private investment in high-risk innovative projects and companies, playing an increasingly important role in European markets for risk debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisation. 

EIB Globalis the specialised arm of the EIB Group dedicated to increasing the impact of mutually beneficial international partnerships and development finance, and a key partner of Team Europe and theGlobal Strategy Portal. EIB Global brings the EIB Group closer to people, businesses and institutions through its offices around the world.

More information: European Commission.