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EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK
CRISIS SOLUTIONS
2020
ACTIVITY REPORT
About the European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank is the world’s biggest multilateral lender. The only bank owned by and representing the interests of the EU countries, the EIB finances Europe’s economic growth. Over six decades the Bank has backed start-ups like Skype and massive schemes like the Øresund Bridge linking Sweden and Denmark. Headquartered in Luxembourg, the EIB Group includes the European Investment Fund, a specialist financer of small and medium-sized enterprises.
HOW TO READ THE REPORT
Recovery from the economic impact of COVID-19 is urgent, but it must be a green recovery and it must be fair to people in developing countries. THIS REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK’S EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO COVID-19 IN 2020, ALONGSIDE THE INVESTMENTS IN CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT WITH WHICH THE BANK WILL DRIVE A SUSTAINABLE RETURN TO GROWTH.
THREE THEMATIC SECTIONS MAKE UP THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE REPORT, focusing on some of the Bank’s solutions for the COVID-19 crisis, climate and environmental degradation, and the need for sustainable development. These “Solutions” sections begin with voices from around the Bank, key staff explaining how the EIB responded to a year of crises and laid the foundations for future innovation and growth. The stories that follow take you through the Bank’s work in innovation, infrastructure, SMEs and climate and environment inside the European Union (EU) and beyond the EU’s borders.
THE REST OF THE REPORT PROVIDES THE CONTEXT FOR THESE SOLUTIONS. From the strategic thinking of the President’s Foreword to data on the Bank’s lending and borrowing and a look at the year ahead in the highlights of the Group Operational Plan.
THE REPORT TELLS THE STORY OF A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION THAT IS ENGAGED ON EVERY LEVEL – FROM SUPPORT FOR MICRO LOANS TO MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES – IN FINDING SOLUTIONS TO THE CRISES AROUND US.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD PROOF THAT EUROPE DELIVERS
2020 HIGHLIGHTS LENDING AND IMPACT DATA
THE EIB IN YOUR COUNTRY LENDING BY COUNTRY
EFSI IN YOUR COUNTRY THE EUROPEAN FUND FOR STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS BY COUNTRY
THE EIB IN YOUR WORLD LENDING BEYOND THE EUROPEAN UNION
COVID SOLUTIONS: THE EIB STEPS UP TO FACE THE PANDEMIC
A SWIFT RESPONSE: THE PAN-EUROPEAN GUARANTEE FUND
TREAT, TEST, VACCINATE: KEY INVESTMENTS IN COVID-19 VACCINES, THERAPIES AND TESTS
‘A GODSEND, A BEAUTIFUL THING’: COVID-19 CRISIS SUPPORT FOR SMALL ITALIAN BUSINESSES
A LIFELINE FOR NORTHERN SPAIN: COVID-19 CRISIS SUPPORT FOR SMALL SPANISH BUSINESSES
BACK TO BASICS: HEALTHCARE INVESTMENTS IN HUNGARY AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS: OUR EXPERTS ASSESS THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE
A PLAN FOR THE PLANET: THE CLIMATE BANK ROADMAP
WHEN THE WINDS DON’T BLOW: INNOVATIVE SWEDISH BATTERIES FOR HOMES AND CARS
WHAT MONTY PYTHON FORGOT ABOUT LUPINS: A CIRCULAR BIOECONOMY FUND
SUSTAINABILITY IN SPACE: CLIMATE CHANGE DATA AND NEW SPACE TECH IN ITALY
GREEN STEEL, CIRCULAR STEEL: STEEL DECARBONISATION AND BIOFUEL IN BELGIUM
SECRETS TO REVEAL: STUDYING CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURAL DISASTERS IN GREECE
A PLAN FOR LIFE: RETHINKING URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN BARCELONA
GREEN DEAL IN MOTION: POLAND GETS A RENEWABLE ENERGY BOOST
DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS: THE GLOBAL VIEW
FAST RELIEF: COVID-19 ACTION IN MOROCCO’S HEALTH SYSTEM
SAVING YOUNGSTERS' DREAMS: IN THE CLASSROOM IN MOROCCO AND TUNISIA
VACCINE SOLIDARITY: A FAIR SHARE OF THE COVID-19 VACCINE FOR AFRICA
THE OTHER INFECTIOUS THREAT: A TUBERCULOSIS VACCINE FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD
GEORGIAN CHEESE WITH A TASTE OF SWITZERLAND: EU FINANCE FOR AN EASTERN NEIGHBOUR
DIGITAL KIDS: TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS SERBIAN SCHOOLS
GOVERNANCE AND GROUP OPERATIONAL PLAN
WHAT’S NEXT? WHAT KEY EIB STAFF EXPECT TO SEE IN THEIR SECTORS OR MARKETS IN 2021
FOREWORD
PROOF THAT EUROPE DELIVERS
Faced with the immediate challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, the