Sittings · Document
Follow-up to the European Parliament non-legislative resolution on the financial activities of the European Investment Bank – annual report
Rapporteur: Francisco ASSIS (S&D / PT)
References: 2024/2053(INI) / A10-0112/2025 / P10_TA(2025)0145
Date of adoption of the resolution: 8 July 2025
Competent Parliamentary Committee: Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)
Brief analysis/ assessment of the resolution and requests made in it:
The European Parliament (EP) resolution highlights the EIB's crucial role in addressing Europe's investment gap, supporting EU policies and promoting sustainable growth. It emphasizes the need for increased transparency, accountability, and oversight, while encouraging the EIB to leverage its potential to support EU priorities. The resolution also stresses the importance of the EIB Group's role in climate action, social infrastructure and cohesion policy, and calls for a more balanced geographical distribution of investments to promote inclusive growth across the EU.
In particular, the resolution welcomes the Commission’s proposal of 26 February 2025 to provide additional funding to InvestEU, avoiding the risk that envelopes for many financial products run out by the end of 2025 without budgetary reinforcements. The EP also welcomes the joint initiative of the Commission and the EIB Group to set up the Defence Equity Facility, with a budget of EUR 175 million between 2024 and 2027, to support private investment in European SMEs developing innovative dual-use defence technologies.
Response to requests and overview of actions taken, or intended to be taken, by the Commission:
Specific calls to the Commission are mentioned in the resolution, as follows:
Para 2: [..] calls on the Commission and the EIB to fully leverage the EIB’s potential to provide financial support for the EU’s common priorities and to fulfil its crucial role in driving the necessary investment for fair and inclusive sustainable growth, while maximising innovation gains in key EU policy areas.
Commission reply:
The Commission will continue to work closely with the EIB Group to ensure a coordinated approach to financing innovation, climate action and competitiveness, as well as reducing inequalities and foster inclusive growth, in line with EU’s long-term climate targets and policy priorities. The Commission fully recognizes the EIB Group’s critical role in supporting various EU objectives, with key achievements that include leveraging public and private financing to catalyze green and digital investment, investment in security and defence, and responding swiftly to crises.
Para 7: [..] calls on the Commission and the EIB to further assess how to speed up the EIB’s time-to-market (e.g. time to disburse) as well as to simplify financing mandates without compromising auditing standards or transparency
Commission reply:
The Commission welcomes the EIB Group’s efforts already taken to reduce time-to-market and in particular its recent commitment under the new Tech-EU programme to make EIB support faster, simpler and more impactful. The Commission has already made legislative proposals to streamline and optimise mandates (both for the mandates under the InvestEU and the NDICI regulation). The Commission welcomes the recent political agreement on the Investment Omnibus and looks forward to its swift formalisation for the benefit of businesses and citizens across the EU. The Commission expects that the proposals put forward for the next MFF will also contribute to simplification and ultimately reduce the time to market. In parallel, the Commission is working with the EIB Group to further simplify EU mandates, including those for advisory services, where no legislative proposals are needed with the aim of streamlining procedures and simplifying reporting. Lastly, the Commission will closely monitor and support the EIB Group to accelerate and ensure full disbursements to final recipients and boost the EU competitiveness while promoting finance with impact and value added in partner countries.
Para 11: [..] calls on the Commission and the EIB Group to enhance efforts to deliver on the agenda for the Competitiveness Compass and the savings and investments union by mobilising private capital for productive investments, supporting innovation throughout companies’ life cycles, venture capital financing and more high-risk equity financing for start-ups and scale-ups
Commission reply:
The Commission is committed to promoting competitiveness and investment in the EU. It will continue to support innovative companies throughout their life cycles, facilitating access to venture capital and equity financing. For instance, the InvestEU programme – through risk-sharing between the Commission and the EIB Group – supports objectives of the Competitiveness Compass and Savings and Investments Union. In addition, the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy adopted in May 2025 is aligned with the Single Market Strategy and the Savings and Investments Union, aiming at making the EU the premier destination for innovation, empowering start-ups and scale-ups to grow and succeed in Europe and attracting them from abroad. Together with the EIB Group, it will create opportunities for start-ups and scale-ups to access also high-risk equity financing, driving innovation and job creation.
Para 16: welcomes, in this regard, the Commission’s proposal of 26 February 2025 to provide additional funding to InvestEU; calls for a balanced geographical distribution of financing under InvestEU, particularly with respect to smaller Member States.
Commission reply:
The Commission recalls that the InvestEU Programme is implemented through indirect management, via a network of implementing partners, including the EIB Group as well as other International Financial Institutions and National Promotional Banks. This in particular contributes to ensuring a wide geographical reach. The proposal of the Commission in the Omnibus II package includes measures to simplify administrative requirements for financial intermediaries and final recipients, particularly SMEs for easier access to InvestEU support across different regions.
Para 18: Welcomes the continued expansion of the EIB’s network of European promotional banks and other international financial institutions to help to further leverage public and private investment, and to ensure broad geographical and sectoral coverage; recalls that InvestEU is 75 % implemented by the EIB; calls for the financial instrument component of the Competitiveness Fund to make use of the expertise of national promotional banks and institutions (NPBIs), particularly their knowledge of local and regional actors; in that context, calls for the blending of instruments between the EIB and NPBIs to be explored further, ensuring that such instruments do not compromise the funds already dedicated to NPBIs;
Commission reply:
The Commission has proposed that, in the next MFF 2028-2034, the European Competitiveness Fund will provide a comprehensive range of funding options for crowding in public and private investment, which will enable projects to access the most suitable form of support, including financial instruments, grants, budgetary guarantees, and blending mechanism. This approach aligns with the objective of leveraging public and private investment towards EU priority sectors using the EU budget strategically. Building on the success of programmes such as InvestEU, the Commission proposes to retain the open architecture and will continue to work closely with relevant implementing partners, including the EIB Group, International Financial Institutions and National Promotional Banks and Institutions (NPBIs), particularly those willing to contribute to the EU's policy objectives. This collaboration is essential to effectively address the challenges within EU and to foster sustainable economic growth and strive for a broader geographical reach. By combining the strengths of each partner, based inter alia on their unique regional expertise, the Commission aims to enhance the impact of its initiatives, promote innovation, and support infrastructure and environmental sustainability.
Para 27: [..] call on the Commission and the EIB to maintain the EU’s leadership in green and digital bonds.
Commission reply:
The EU has been one of the largest green bond issuers in the world, with EUR 68.2 billion issued in the form of NGEU Green Bonds by end 2024 (EUR 75.1 billion as of end of July 2025). NGEU Green Bonds are expected to support the implementation of green investments in total value of up to EUR 264.6 billion in the nine expenditure categories set out in the NGEU Green Bond Framework, including clean transport, clean energy and energy efficiency, confirming the EU's leading role in sustainable finance.
The Commission has also been actively involved in promoting and supporting the development of digital finance. In 2024, the Commission established a Digital Finance platform aimed at supporting innovation in finance and building a true single market for digital financial services. In the next MFF, the Commission aims to maintain the same level of ambition and proposed a European Competitiveness Fund worth EUR 409 billion which would pool capacity at EU level for investment in strategic technology sectors, across four vertically integrated sectoral windows, which include digital leadership.
Para 60: [..]Expresses concern over reports that some EU-funded projects outside the EU, including under the Global Gateway, are being built by Chinese companies, with Chinese firms at times winning more EIB-funded contracts than EU firms; urges the Commission to ensure a level playing field by working with the EIB to boost European company participation; recommends procurement practices that prioritise best price/quality ratio over lowest price to promote fair competition and align with EU values;
Commission reply:
The Commission is committed to ensuring a level playing field for European companies in the context of projects supported by the EIB. To this end, the Commission is already working closely with the EIB Group to increase the participation of European companies in projects financed outside EU and to promote fair competition, while maintaining consistency with international best practices for open international tenders. In particular, EIB Global will support EU companies when participating in tenders outside the EU by facilitating access to bid and to its budgetary guarantees. The EU delegations will also play an increasing role in ensuring matchmaking. Moreover, the EIB Group will develop a pan-European Trade and Investment Initiative, with the aim of channelling EU guarantees and funding to EU entities participating in international bids and projects through the network of national export credit agencies.
The Commission welcomes the EIB's efforts to develop its strategic procurement approach, including for projects financed outside the EU. Achieving EU’s strategic goals will require increased outreach to EU private sector actors to ensure a better level playing field for EU companies. Coordination between the Commission, EU Delegations, the EIB, Multilateral Development Banks, and European development finance institutions will also be crucial.
The European Commission will continue playing a crucial role in protecting the financial interests of the European Union to ensure that EU funds are used correctly and efficiently. This will include among other things, specific rules regarding the eligibility of individuals and entities to participate in procurement, grant, and prize award procedures under a specific programme.