Группа ЕИБ в 2025 году выделила рекордные 42,8 млрд евро на сокращение неравенства в регионах ЕС

Reducing inequalities within and between EU countries and regions is one of EIB Group priorities. Read more about EIB cohesion and regional development. Highlights In 2025, the EIB Group provided a record €42.8 billion in financing to cohesion regions. This represents 48% of the Group’s total financing in the European Union for the year. The EIB and the EIF have met or exceeded all their cohesion targets set in the EIB Cohesion Orientation 2021-2027 since 2022. In 2025, EIB lending to cohesion regions attained close to €38 billion (up from €33.7 billion in the previous year), which represented 49.5% of total EIB financing within the EU – above the set target of 45%. Since 2021, the EIB Group has provided €182.8 billion in financing to cohesion regions. This amount is roughly equal to half the funding allocated under the European Union’s Cohesion Policy Funds for the entire 2021-2027 budget period. This chart gives an overview of the EIB Group’s cohesion activities between 2021 and 2025. For the EIB, cohesion financing is further broken down into less developed and transition regions. Of the European Union’s 145 cohesion regions, 67 are classified as transition regions and 78 as less developed regions. Transition regions are defined as regions where the GDP per capita is between 75% and 100% of the EU average. In less developed regions, GDP per capita is less than 75% of the EU average. Less developed regions are found mostly in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe (for example, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Portugal, Greece and the southern regions of Italy and Spain). Many transition regions are found in wealthier EU Member States, such as France and Finland, but some transition regions are regions that had been less developed, but whose economies have grown significantly faster than the EU average over the past two decades (for example, in Estonia, Czechia and Poland). The top eight recipients of EIB Group cohesion financing are France, Spain, Poland, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Romania, and Czechia. Looking at EIF cohesion financing, Spain, France, Portugal, and Romania stand out as the largest partner countries. Zooming in on less developed regions, Poland, Italy and Spain are by far the greatest recipients. This map shows EIB financing in absolute euro amounts. The next map shows lending intensity, measured as EIB financing per inhabitant. Large and populous regions tend to receive the most financing. The biggest recipients, with more than €3.16 billion from 2021 to 2025, are Andalusia and Castile and Leon (Spain), Sicily and Campania (Italy), Silesia and Pomerania (Poland), as well as the French transition region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. Many transition regions are in a middle-income trap, in which they risk being too expensive for some activities but not innovative or productive enough for others. Transition regions receive fewer EU grants from the EU Cohesion Policy funds than less developed regions, making EIB lending to transition regions particularly relevant. Indeed, the second highest recipient group, with financing ranging from €1.98 billion to €3.16 billion, includes eight transition regions and two less developed regions in Greece, France, Italy and Spain. Finally, there are 13 regions in the third group with EIB financing ranging from €1.30 billion to €1.98 billion – eight less developed regions and five transition regions – in Poland (5), France (3), Italy (2), Portugal (2) and Romania. As for EIB lending intensity, the top category, with lending per inhabitant above €1 857 from 2021 to 2025, includes seven regions: Western Macedonia, the north and the south Aegean islands of Greece, Pomerania (Poland), Extremadura (Spain), Marche (Italy) and Burgenland (Austria). The 13 regions in the second group, with EIB financing per capita between €926 and €1 857, are Alentejo and Centro (Portugal), Castilla La Mancha and Castile and Leon (Spain), Abruzzo and Sicily (Italy), Świętokrzyskie (Poland), Continental Greece, Cyprus, North-West Czechia, Luxembourg and Liège (Belgium), and Eastern Finland. The categories with medium EIB lending intensity (between €680 and €926 per capita) contain 13 regions – roughly half of them less developed – in eight EU countries: Poland (3), Italy (3), France (2), Czechia, Belgium, Estonia, Germany and Spain. Model-based simulations estimate that EIB Group financing in 2025 will increase GDP in EU cohesion regions by around 1.6% in the medium term (by 2029). Job creation is about 50% higher in less developed regions compared to more developed ones by 2029. As shown in the chart on the left, even in 2044, almost two decades after the EIB Group-financed investments, GDP would still be 0.8% higher on average, and even 0.9% higher in less developed regions. Cohesion regions benefit not only from direct investments but also from spillover effects through economic interlinkages with more developed regions. These indirect effects can account for up to 40% of the total long-term impact. Positive impacts are especially evident in regions facing risks of economic divergence and stagnation, as highlighted in the European Commission 9th Cohesion Report. EIB cohesion for climate and sustainability As the Climate Bank of the European Union, the EIB has committed to dedicating at least 50% of its annual financing to climate action and environmental sustainability. The EIB as a whole exceeded this target in each of the past four years. The target was also met in EIB cohesion regions, in line with the EIB Cohesion Orientation. In 2025, 65% of EIB cohesion financing contributed to climate action and environmental sustainability. In most years (2022, 2024 and 2025), EIB lending in cohesion regions was even greener than that in non-cohesion regions. In the five-year period from 2021 to 2025, the average share of EIB cohesion financing contributing to this goal was 60.9%. EIB Group cohesion by public policy goal EIB Group activities contribute to reducing regional economic disparities across the European Union by supporting its four primary public policy goals (PPGs), which are aligned with EU policy priorities. - The EIB Group directed €64.5 billion (39% of total cohesion financing) to Sustainable energy and natural resources, mainly in support of electricity networks and renewable energy projects. The year 2025 saw another significant increase (+18%) in Group financing to sustainable energy and natural resources, which reached close to €18.7 billion (44% of the total), clearly demonstrating how cohesion and climate action work hand in hand. - Sustainable cities and regions received the second highest amount with €39.8 billion (24% of the total), most of it towards transport projects. In 2025, financing under this public policy goal increased strongly (+23%) to almost €10 billion. - The EIB Group allocated €29.1 billion to projects under the Innovation, digital and human capital goal, accounting for 17% of total cohesion financing. In 2025, Group financing decreased slightly, reflecting weaker lending to health and digital infrastructure than in 2024 but helped by a strong increase in EIF financing. While EIB Group financing to innovation, digital and human capital in 2024 and 2025 was clearly above the levels observed in 2021 and 2022, it has not kept pace with the dynamic overall growth in EIB Group cohesion support, highlighting the need for reinforced policy efforts such as the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) and TechEU. - Support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps represented 20% of Group cohesion financing, with €33.5 billion invested. In 2025, financing under this public policy goal increased slightly and amounted to €7.5 billion. Over 2022-2025, this has been the most important public policy goal (PPG) for the EIF’s cohesion financing (43% of EIF commitments / €9.2 billion in cohesion regions). - From 2021 to 2025, Sustainable energy and natural resources, the greatest contributor to total cohesion financing for the European Union as a whole, was particularly prevalent in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Latvia and Germany, where it made up at least half of the total amounts. By contrast, its share was only 10% in Sweden. - Sustainable cities and regions accounted for 40% or more in Lithuania, Poland and Cyprus. It represented less than 10% of financing in wealthier EU countries such as Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Finland and Sweden. - Innovation, digital and human capital projects had a share of 40% or more in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The share hovered at around 30% in France, Germany and Malta. The lowest shares (7% or less) were observed in Austria and Czechia. - Funding for SMEs and mid-caps tends to be especially important in less wealthy countries such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece and Slovakia, where it accounted for more than one-third of total cohesion support. In wealthier countries like Belgium, Finland and Sweden, this policy goal accounted for a smaller fraction of total Cohesion lending (7% or less). The results shown are representative for each country in EU countries that are entirely made up of cohesion regions (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia and Malta). However, in the other 19 EU countries, which consist of both cohesion and non-cohesion regions, full-country results of EIB Group activity may deviate significantly from the results shown in the chart. EIB Group cohesion by policy objective The chart shows the EIB Group’s support for its policy objectives since 2021. Focusing on the EIB, a few specific policy objectives have driven most of the Bank’s financing in cohesion regions over the past five years. - Under the public policy goal sustainable energy and natural resources (in green), energy networks and infrastructure and renewable energy together account for three-quarters of total cohesion financing under this goal. - Under the public policy goal sustainable cities and regions, transport projects make up three-quarters of cohesion financing. Within transport, more than half of the funding supports the completion of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), while close to 40% goes to sustainable transport. The remaining quarter supports an integrated territorial development, which contains social and affordable housing as an important component (27%). - Research, development, and innovation (RDI) projects lead EIB lending under innovation, digital and human capital, contributing over €11 billion (44% of the total), mainly through support for public-sector RDI. Education projects make up 24% of the total, and health projects 20%. - Under the SME and mid-caps goal, the EIB directs about 60% of funding to SMEs and 40% to mid-caps, showing a clear focus on supporting smaller businesses. For the EIF, cohesion financing in 2022-2025 was driven by support for SMEs and mid-caps (43%, or €9.2 billion) as well as sustainable energy and natural resources (32%, or €6.8 billion), followed by innovation, digital and human capital (19%, or €4.0 billion) and sustainable cities and regions (6%, or €1.3 billion). EIB cohesion expected results The following chart presents a selection of key indicators summarising the cumulative expected results of EIB-financed operations in specific sectors in EIB cohesion regions, signed since 2021. These figures, which are based on data gathered at appraisal for each project, represent concrete, sector-specific measures of project outputs expressed in physical units such as megawatt of installed capacity of electricity generation from renewable sources or the number of social housing units with improved energy performance (see central column). Beyond outputs, the chart also reports outcomes, for example, megawatt-hours of energy saved, gigawatt-hours of renewable energy produced, and the number of people receiving improved healthcare, or benefiting from safer drinking water (see right column). EIB cohesion and UN SDGs Since 2021, the EIB Group significantly advanced its contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly through its cohesion financing in EU regions. The EIB’s financing aims to reduce inequalities (SDG 10) between countries and regions and to develop sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) by investing in regions with lower GDP per capita and to promote inclusive development. Moreover, support to small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-caps and to research, development and innovation has been strengthened, boosting Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9). Green investment is a central part of the EIB’s success story in cohesion regions, since it boosts the availability of affordable and clean energy (SDG 7) and contributes to climate action (SDG 13) by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping cities and regions to adapt to the physical impacts of climate change. Read more about the EIB Group’s contribution to the SDGs. 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