Netherlands

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €25 million venture debt financing agreement with Dutch fibre-optic sensor innovator Optics11. The company uses advanced fibre-optic sensing technology with applications in two core critical sectors for European strategic autonomy: Energy and Underwater Security.

The European Investment Bank will contribute to the financing of the construction and upgrade of the final section of the A12 / A15 motorway in the eastern part of the Netherlands with a €500 million loan to the GelreGroen consortium, who was awarded the contract to design, build, finance and maintain the project over the coming two decades. The project finalises a key cross-country motorway corridor in the Netherlands, linking the Rotterdam harbour to the German border. As such, this stretch of motorway is located on the core TEN-T road network and on the Rhine-Alpine Corridor.

The European Investment Bank (EIB)’s annual ‘Investment Survey’, which can be downloaded here, shows that the Netherlands remains in Europe’s front pack when it comes to the adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. As part of the survey, Dutch firms say they are much more likely to use multiple advanced digital technologies than companies in other EU countries (65% vs 51% EU). The country also has one of the highest adoption rates of generative AI, with access to digital infrastructure hardly seen as an investment barrier when compared to the EU average. These positive trends will support the country’s competitiveness.