As Europe faces an unprecedented level of security threat, innovation in defence, security, and space technologies has become a strategic imperative. The EIB Group has stepped up its support to the security and defence industry in 2024, widening the scope of defence and security projects eligible for financing earlier this March. The European Investment Fund (EIF) […]
€910 million to boost European defence
The Commission is investing €910 million under the 2024 edition of the European Defence Fund (EDF) to create a strong and innovative defence industry in Europe. These investments aim to close key capability gaps—like force mobility and drone defence—through innovation and collaboration across European science and industry. Moreover, and for the first time, Ukrainian defence industries can […]
Savings and investments union: better financial opportunities for EU citizens and businesses
The Commission has adopted a new strategy to channel savings into productive investments. It seeks to increase EU citizens’ participation in capital markets with broader investment options and improved financial literacy, fostering their wealth and boosting the EU economy. About 70% of household savings in the EU – worth €10 trillion – are held as bank deposits. They are safe and […]
European Innovation Council to invest €1.4 billion in deep tech and scale up of strategic technologies in 2025
The European Innovation Council (EIC), part of the EU research and innovation programme Horizon Europe, will support European deep tech research and high-potential start-ups with €1.4 billion next year. The EIC Work Programme 2025, which the Commission adopted today, represents an increase of nearly €200 million in comparison with 2024. In addition to a bigger budget, […]
EU invests €4.8 billion of emissions trading revenues in innovative net-zero projects
The Commission has today selected 85 innovative net zero emission projects to receive €4.8 billion in grants from the Innovation Fund to help deploy cutting-edge clean technologies across Europe. The 2023 call for proposals awards for the first time projects of various sizes (large, medium and small, as well as pilot projects) focusing on clean […]
EU to invest more than €380 million in 133 LIFE projects to boost Europe’s green transition
The Commission has granted more than €380 million to 133 new projects across Europe under the LIFE Programme for environment and climate action. The allocated amount represents more than half of the €574 million total investment needs for these projects – the remainder coming from national, regional and local governments, public-private partnerships, businesses, and civil society organisations. LIFE […]
Commission to invest €865 million to support fast and secure digital connectivity networks
the Commission has adopted the second Work Programme for the digital part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital, which defines the scope and objectives of EU-funded actions to improve Europe’s digital connectivity infrastructures. These actions will receive around €865 million of funding from 2024 to 2027. Improving Europe’s connectivity infrastructure is fundamental for achieving Europe’s 2030 Digital Decade objectives […]
Mario Draghi outlines his plan to improve Europe’s competitiveness
On Tuesday, Mario Draghi outlined his blueprint for improving Europe’s competitiveness through closer cooperation in core areas and massive investment in shared objectives. Mr Draghi, author of a report on European competitiveness requested by the President of the European Commission, said that the EU needed to focus on three crucial issues: closing the innovation gap […]
European Commission and EIF join forces to boost investment in defence innovation
The European Commission and the European Investment Fund (EIF) have joined forces to step up their support to EU’s defence and security through the launch of the Defence Equity Facility. The initiative, consisting of €100 million from the European Defence Fund and an additional €75 million from the European Investment Fund, will significantly expand EIF’s investment capacity to support, […]