The Western Balkans have been a crossing point between Central Europe and the East for centuries. Devastated by tragic conflicts, nationalism and neglected investments, the Western Balkan countries are striving to find a new equilibrium. Citizens and institutions in the Balkans have repeatedly affirmed their ambition to become part of the European Union and have made significant efforts to turn…
All athletes experience setbacks. But to have your limbs - the very tools you use to practice your sport - taken away by an illness at a young age is a setback that many would never overcome. Bebe Vio never gave up her dream of becoming a fencer, despite having her arms and legs amputated when she was eleven years old after suffering from fulminant meningitis. Instead of abandoning her dream of…
Investments in energy efficiency improvements are vital to ensure Europe’s future as a sustainable, yet prosperous economy. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, however, there is a great risk of losing sight of the benefits of energy efficiency investments by European firms. The EIB Investment Survey (EIBIS) provides a unique source of data that highlights how more investment in energy efficiency is nee…
The climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic remind us that we cannot face down our challenges alone—our solutions must be global. The European Investment Bank is at the heart of the push to turn EU policy initiatives into real development solutions on the ground. This report provides insights into our vital projects and initiatives outside the European Union, data on their impact and ideas f…
The greatest challenges we face to today are global. This is true for climate change and the need to build new models of sustainable and resilient development. It is equally true for the coronavirus pandemic that threatens to erode some of the progress made on poverty reduction around the world. As the world’s largest multilateral development bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB) has the m…
Intervention is needed to improve women-led companies’ access to finance. In a recent study, EIB’s InnovFin Advisory assessed the availability of finance for women-owned and managed companies in Europe as compared to the United States. While women-led companies account for only a small portion of financing deals and investment flows, their share is growing. Nevertheless, structural inequali…
Massimo Bottura is more than a Michelin star-winning chef. Together with Lara Gilmore, he also founded Food for Soul, a non-profit organisation seeking to reduce food waste through social inclusion and mitigate the carbon impact on our planet. On the occasion of Expo 2015 in Milan and working in concert with Caritas Ambrosiana, Massimo Bottura opened Refettorio Ambrosiano, a new kind of communi…
We have made great progress, but we are still vulnerable and our common commitment to fight global health challenges is not yet strong enough. Despite our knowledge, despite new technologies, without concentrated and global efforts we are limited in our success. Today we see it clearly.” The sequencing of the human genome at the beginning of this millennium marked a new era in biomedicine. Na…
The food sector is a strategic part of the European economy, but it faces many complex challenges: The sector is afraid of risk Spending on innovation is low The sector does not use technology adequately The financing landscape is too fragmented To prepare food production for the future, we need more innovation, we must reap the full potential of technology, and we need creative financing.