Heads of WTO, EIB sign landmark agreement to boost trade and investment

The WTO Secretariat and the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 4 March to enhance sustainable trade and investment worldwide. The agreement marks the beginning of a partnership that will leverage the EIB's financial resources and investment facilitation tools developed under the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement concluded by a large number of WTO members to improve the regulatory environment, unlock investment and expand opportunities for developing countries.

Heads of WTO, EIB sign landmark agreement to boost trade and investment

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The MoU was signed by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and EIB Group President Nadia Calvi�o on the sidelines of the EIB Group Forum, held from 3 to 5 March in Luxembourg. A central element of the agreement is the EIB-WTO Trade and Investment Facilitation Initiative, which will support cooperation in strengthening regulatory reforms, investment planning and project preparation to bolster trade and investment in developing countries.

The agreement will leverage the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement concluded by 128 WTO members, which establishes the first global set of rules aimed at facilitating foreign direct investment flows through improved regulatory frameworks. The two institutions will work together to assist developing countries in assessing their needs, and to develop operational action plans identifying specific reforms needed to unlock investment. EIB funding, as well as blended finance instruments, including private capital participation, may be mobilized to support investment projects.

Initially, in a pilot phase, the initiative will focus on selected countries in Africa and on critical sectors with the aim of unlocking investment aligned with the EIB Global's priorities, including the green and digital transitions, health, education and training, sustainable growth, and decent job creation.

"The new EIB-WTO partnership represents an important step toward mobilizing finance and strengthening the investment environment in developing countries," said WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. "At a time when global foreign direct investment flows are lower than we need them to be, the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement offers participating Members a practical framework to reduce risk, enhance transparency, and reinforce regulatory predictability. This partnership aligns policy reform efforts with catalytic financing, and thus promises to unlock private investment in strategic sectors, including critical minerals, digital technologies, and the bioeconomy, beginning with a pilot group of African countries and expanding over time."

"Europe stands firmly behind a fair and rules-based global trading system," said EIB Group President Nadia Calvi�o. "This agreement between the European Investment Bank and the World Trade Organization Secretariat will help turn trade policy dialogue into concrete, high-impact investments. It will help partner countries attract more and better-quality investment, while supporting reform and creating new trading opportunities for EU businesses. At a time when we need them most, it contributes to win-win partnerships based on mutual respect for shared prosperity."

Under the agreement, the EIB Group and the WTO Secretariat will also work together on analytical and research activities, exchanging insights on global investment and trade trends to inform policy and operational decisions.

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