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“The European Investment Bank supports investment projects in Poland designed to reduce disparities in regional development, strengthen economic competitiveness and improve people’s living standards. In 2015, we provided financing in Poland amounting to EUR 5.54 billion. This year, we want to focus on financing under the European Fund for Strategic Investments, a crucial part of the Investment Plan for Europe”, said László Baranyay, Vice-President of the EIB with responsibility for the Bank’s operations in Poland at a press conference showcasing the Bank’s activities in Poland.

Poland is the largest beneficiary of EIB loans among all Member States that have joined the European Union since 2004, and the sixth largest recipient of EIB support. In 2015 the Bank supported primarily the development of Polish road and rail infrastructure, having allocated over EUR 1.7 billion to the construction and upgrading of more than 350 km of expressways and 300 km of rail tracks. In addition, the EIB financed public sector investment in research and development projects, supporting Poland’s science and innovation strategy with loans totalling EUR 1 billion.

Innovative and dynamically developing local enterprises used EIB funds to finance expansion into new markets and innovative research. The European Union bank’s financial support, amounting to almost EUR 1 billion, targeted Polish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and midcaps, thus contributing to job creation in the sector. In addition, the Bank supported the development of Polish cities, financing the modernisation of municipal transport, educational facilities, health and social care facilities and environmental protection infrastructure in several Polish cities and regions with loans amounting to almost EUR 577 million. The EIB also allocated almost EUR 700 million to investment projects in the energy sector, so enabling 45 000 new users to connect to the upgraded power supply network.

In 2016 the EIB will continue to support the implementation of investment projects in the above sectors in Poland. It will focus in particular on increasing the pace of modernisation of Polish cities, promoting major investments in the energy sector (including renewable energy) and supporting SMEs and midcaps. The EIB will also examine new opportunities for increasing funding for innovative enterprises operating in the domestic market, in particular by making use of new instruments being implemented under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), a crucial part of the Investment Plan for Europe.Signatures in Poland 2011-2015 (in EUR m)