LUXEMBOURG, / RankWire.AI / July 16, 2026: The European Investment Bank Group approved €17.4 billion in new financing for energy, transport, healthcare, education and business investment, including €3.7 billion for projects aimed at reducing Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels. The package, cleared by the boards of the European Investment Bank and its specialist subsidiary, the European Investment Fund, includes an €800 million loan for the refurbishment of Unit 1 at Romania’s Cernavodă nuclear power plant and support for border crossings linking Ukraine with the European Union and Moldova.
The EIB Group financing package will support electricity grids in Belgium and Spain, wind farms in Germany and solar generation in France, alongside the Romanian nuclear project. Cernavodă, operated by Nuclearelectrica, supplies about 20% of Romania’s electricity. The approved loan will finance the replacement of major components and upgrades to systems at Unit 1, allowing the reactor to continue operating safely and reliably. The broader energy allocation forms part of the group’s effort to expand electrification, strengthen energy security and support infrastructure required for Europe’s transition away from oil and gas.
Energy projects receive €3.7 billion in EIB support
Nadia Calviño, president of the EIB Group, said the approved projects would support European security and autonomy while helping keep energy affordable for households and businesses. She also said the institution was heading toward another strong year, with record investment in electricity grids, interconnectors and major technologies linked to the energy transition. The latest approvals follow the group’s €100 billion of financing and advisory commitments in 2025, covering more than 870 projects across climate, technology, security, cohesion, agriculture, social infrastructure and international partnerships.
The package also covers transport, public services and corporate investment across several European countries. The EIB board approved financing for new trains in Austria, hospital modernization in the Czech Republic, additional cultural and sports facilities in Sweden, and investment in kindergartens and schools in Lithuania. Separate measures will support business competitiveness in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. The EIB did not identify every individual transaction value in its announcement but listed the approvals as part of a single financing round spanning public-sector assets, industrial investment and access to credit.
New financing covers grids in Belgium and Spain
The boards also moved to expand financing capacity for European businesses through securitisation and guarantees. The EIB doubled a pan-European securitisation programme to €6 billion, while the EIF approved several securitisation and guarantee transactions connected to the European Union savings and investment agenda. Securitisation can release capital held by banks against existing assets, enabling lenders to issue additional credit. The EIB said the measures would help channel financing toward green and innovative projects, support competitiveness and broaden access to capital for companies, including small and medium-sized businesses and startups.
Ukraine-related approvals include financing to modernize road border crossings located on routes that form part of the trans-European transport network. The work will cover processing terminals, customs facilities and digital systems, improving links between Ukraine, the EU and Moldova. The EIB Group also approved new financing for Ukrainian companies, extending its support for the country’s economic resilience and recovery. Ukraine remained the group’s leading external priority in 2025, when the bank said it committed a record amount to projects supporting essential services and the functioning of the economy.
Outside the EU, the EIB Group financing package includes wind-energy investment in Egypt, solar power and electricity-grid projects in Tunisia, and sustainable agriculture in Moldova. These approvals support the EU’s Global Gateway programme, which finances infrastructure and partnerships in sectors including energy, transport, digital connectivity, health and education. The EIB Group is owned by the EU’s 27 member states and operates as the bloc’s long-term financing institution, while the EIF specializes in guarantees, securitisation and equity instruments designed to mobilize private capital.