The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group has approved €17.4 billion in fresh financing to strengthen Europe’s energy autonomy, competitiveness and strategic partnerships with Ukraine and countries beyond, according to a press release. The Boards of Directors of the EIB and the European Investment Fund (EIF) approved the new financing package this week in Luxembourg. The package includes an €800 million loan for the upgrade of Romania’s Cernavodă nuclear power plant. It also backs more integrated Ukraine-EU border crossings. The financing spans energy autonomy, business competitiveness and global partnerships.
The EIB Group committed €3.7 billion for projects designed to make Europe less dependent on fossil fuels and accelerate its energy transition. The financing will support nuclear power in Romania, new electricity networks in Belgium and Spain, wind farms in Germany and solar generation in France. Among these, the €800 million EIB loan covers the refurbishment and life extension of Unit 1, one of two reactors at Cernavodă. The plant generates around 20% of Romania’s electricity. The loan will fund key component replacements and system upgrades, enabling a new cycle of reliable and safe operation.
Beyond energy, the EIB Board backed financing for new trains in Austria, hospital upgrades in the Czech Republic, additional cultural and sports facilities in Sweden and improvements to kindergartens and schools in Lithuania. It also endorsed projects bolstering company competitiveness in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. The EIB Board agreed to double to €6 billion a programme for pan-European securitisation lending. The EIF Board approved a series of securitisation and guarantee transactions supporting the EU savings and investments union. These operations aim to expand banks’ capacity to finance green and innovation projects.
“The EIB Group is financing important projects for Europe’s security and autonomy, bringing affordable energy to households and businesses,” said EIB Group President Nadia Calviño. “We are on track for another blockbuster year, with record investment in grids and interconnectors as well as flagship projects in key technologies for the clean transition.”
The EIB Group also endorsed financing for upgraded Ukrainian border-crossing points along roads that are part of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The project includes terminals, customs equipment and digital systems, improving connectivity with Member States and Moldova. The latest financing also extends to businesses in Ukraine.
In other strategic investments in EU partner countries, the EIB Group approved financing for wind energy in Egypt, solar power and electricity grids in Tunisia and sustainable agriculture in Moldova. These projects promote partnerships in support of the EU’s “Global Gateway” strategy. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects. Its work spans eight core priorities aligned with EU policy objectives. The latest approvals reinforce the Group’s role as the financing arm of the European Union.
