EIB Group simplifies access to green finance and approves over €11 billion in new investments

• New PATH 2 framework strengthens integration of climate risks into financing decisions while reducing administrative burden for businesses.
• Boards of Directors of EIB and EIF also approve €11.5 billion in new financing for energy, housing and global partnerships.
• EIF backs €2 billion securitisation package to unlock financing for European businesses.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group will further reduce red tape for businesses such as manufacturers, utilities, banks and public entities that seek financing for green transition projects.

The new framework for assessing counterparties' alignment with the Paris Agreement, known as PATH 2, will replace the existing version, which was introduced in 2021.

PATH 2 supports the European Union's simplification agenda by avoiding EIB Group-specific reporting requirements and leveraging instead the climate-related information already disclosed by clients in order to assess their climate risks and their transition plans.

"The simplified rules adopted today reduce the administrative burden for companies, speeding up investment approvals," said EIB Group President Nadia Calviño. "We remove gold-plating and focus on delivery and results."

PATH 2: Simplification and stronger climate risk assessment

Part of the EIB Group's "Climate Bank Roadmap Phase 2", adopted in 2025, PATH 2 will take effect in January 2027. The revised framework is fully aligned with the European Commission's efforts to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and prevent gold-plating, as highlighted by President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union Address on 16 September 2026.

The new framework will support the goals of the Paris Agreement, while streamlining access to financing for businesses, especially for smaller entities. It will also strengthen the EIB Group's climate risk assessment by performing deeper assessments on counterparties where climate-related risks are greatest while maintaining the requirement for higher-risk counterparties without a publicly available transition plan to publish one.

In terms of scope, PATH 2 will align with new EU sustainability and prudential rules and will rely on public sustainability disclosures, thereby removing the EIB Group's bespoke reporting requirements. Technical assistance to develop transition plans remains a core element of the EIB Group proposition to support counterparties to develop climate strategies, at no cost to the client.

New projects

Alongside the adoption of PATH 2, the Boards of Directors of the EIB and the European Investment Fund (EIF), meeting this week in Luxembourg, also approved €11.5 billion in new financing, including €3.4 billion to strengthen Europe's energy autonomy.

The new EIB financing package supports energy networks in Germany and Finland, wind and solar power in Italy and clean-tech innovation across the EU. It also covers affordable housing in Poland and healthcare and education projects in France - investments that will strengthen social cohesion in both countries.

The EIF approved a €2 billion securitisation package and more than €600 million in loan portfolio guarantees to boost access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe. By expanding the capacity of banks to finance new investments, these operations will back the technological, environmental and cultural sectors, strengthening Europe's competitiveness and resilience.

Global partnerships

Outside the EU, the EIB Group approved fresh financing for sustainable agriculture and agribusinesses in Côte d'Ivoire, as well as a submarine cable linking Vanuatu and New Caledonia that will enhance connectivity and support tsunami and seismic monitoring.

These investments reinforce the EU's "Global Gateway" strategy and strengthen sustainable economic partnerships worldwide.

Background information

EIB Group

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe's markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees, securitisation and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.

With the support of all 27 EU governments, the EIF has joined forces with institutional investors in a pan-European alliance to mobilise up to €80 billion for investment into innovative companies scaling up to become global leaders. The joint effort will expand the size and scope of the highly successful European Tech Champions Initiative, which has helped create 15 European mega-funds and scale 47 companies, including 15 unicorns, since being established three years ago.

Photos of the EIB Group's representatives and headquarters, logo files and video B-roll for media use are available here.