3. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is
the European Union's nonprofit long-term lending
institution established in 1958 under the Treaty of
Rome. As a "policy-driven bank"
whose shareholders are the member states of the EU,
the EIB uses its financing operations to bring about
"European integration and social cohesion". It should
not be confused with the European Central Bank.
The EIB is a publicly owned international financial
institution and its shareholders are the member states
of the European Union. Thus the member states set
the bank's broad policy goals and oversee the
independent decision-making bodies: the Board of
Governors and the Board of Directors.
4. The European Investment Bank was founded in
Brussels in 1958 when the Treaty of Rome came into
force. It relocated to Luxembourg, its current
headquarters, in 1968. By 1999, it had more than
1,000 staff members, a figure that had nearly doubled
by 2012; when the EIB was founded in 1958 it had 66
employees. The EIB Group was formed in
2000, comprising the EIB and the European
Investment Fund (EIF), the EU's venture capital arm
that provides finances and guarantees for small and
medium enterprises (SMEs). The EIB is the EIF's
majority shareholder, with 62% of the shares.
5. The total subscribed capital of the Bank was EUR 232 billion
in 2012. The capital of the EIB was virtually doubled between
2007 and 2009 in response to the crisis. The EU heads of
government agreed to increase paid-in capital by EUR
10 billion in June 2012, with implementation expected in early
2013.
For the fiscal year 2011, EIB lent EUR 61 billion in various
loan products, bringing total outstanding loans to EUR
395 billion; one-third higher than at the end of 2008. Nearly
90% of these were with EU member states with the remainder
dispersed between around 150 "partner countries" (in
Southern and Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean
region, Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and the
Pacific). The bank uses its AAA credit rating and funds itself
by raising equivalent amounts on the capital markets.
6. As the "Bank of the European Union", the EIB’s mission is
to make a difference to the future of Europe and its
partners by supporting sound investments which further EU
policy goals.
Although about 90 percent of projects financed by the EIB
are based in EU member countries, the bank does fund
projects in about 150 other countries: non-EU South-
Eastern European countries, Mediterranean partner
countries, ACP countries, Asian and Latin American
countries, Russia and other eastern neighbors of the EU.
According to the EIB, it works in these countries to
implement the financial pillar of the union's external
cooperation and development policies by encouraging
private sector development, infrastructure development,
security of energy supply and environmental sustainability.
7. The EIB President is the head of the Management Committee, a nine-
member executive body that is responsible for the day-to-day
operations of the EIB. They are "appointed by the EIB's Board of
Governors, on a proposal from the Board of Directors", for a renewable
six-year term. The is also the chair of the board of directors.
The current EIB President is Werner Hoyer, a German politician with a
doctorate in economics. He became president in January 2012.
Former presidents are:
Philippe Maystadt (Belgium), March 2000 – December 2011
Sir Brian Unwin (UK), April 1993 – December 1999
Ernst-Günther Bröder (Germany), August 1984 – March 1993
Yves Le Portz (France), September 1970 – July 1984
Paride Formentini (Italy), June 1959 – September 1970
Pietro Campillli (Italy), February 1958 – May 1959
8. The headquarters is situated at 100 Boulevard Konrad Adenauer
in Kirchberg, Luxembourg. The building's first phase was designed by
British architect Sir Denys Lasdun and is one of his few works outside the
UK.
The EIB has offices in the different EU countries,
including Athens, Belgrade, Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest, Fort-de-
France, Martinique (one of France's overseas
departments); HelsinKi, Lisbon,
London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Sofia, Warsaw, Vienna, and Kiev.
Outside of the EU, it has offices in Ankara, Turkey; Beijing, China; Cairo,
Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; Istanbul, Turkey; Nairobi, Kenya; Pretoria, South
Africa; Rabat, Morocco; Sydney, Australia; and Tunis,Tunisia.
In 2007, the EIB opened a regional office in Helsinki ,located at the
headquarters of the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB),with the aim of
enhancing the Bank’s presence in the Baltic Sea region.
9. Operating strategy:
To finance viable capital projects which further EU objectives
To borrow on the capital markets to finance these projects
Lending strategy within the EU
Within the EU the EIB has six priority objectives:
Cohesion and convergence (regional policy)
Support for small and medium-sized enterprises
Environmental sustainability
Knowledge economy
Development of Trans-European Networks of transport and energy
Sustainable, competitive, and secure energy supply
Lending strategy outside the EU
Outside the EU the EIB's priority objectives for lending activity are:
Private sector development
Financial sector development
Infrastructure development
Security of energy supply
Environmental sustainability
EU presence
