EIB Group contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) guide international efforts to end world poverty, protect the planet and ensure that everyone can enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. We at the European Investment Bank Group have been committed to advancing the SDGs since their adoption in 2015.

At a glance

In 2024, we signed new operations worth almost €89 billion. All our activities support one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals. Partnerships are central to our approach to investing and mobilising private capital in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. We work with public development institutions, the private sector and civil society groups around the world to maximise the impact of our funding.

Our impact on the ground

Our 2024 operations will result into tangible benefits for people all over the world, from safer drinking water to better health and education services.

13.7 million

people with safer drinking water

14.9 million

people with improved health services

368 000

students enrolled in new or refurbished education facilities

14.7 million

households powered by renewable energy

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A closer look

We examine the Sustainable Development Goals most closely linked with our core strategic priorities. Given our areas of focus, the biggest contributions in 2024 were made to SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy).

SDG 3 SDG 4 SDG 5 SDG 6 SDG 7 SDG 8 SDG 9 SDG 11 SDG 13

Good health and wellbeing

We are committed to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. We invest in healthcare infrastructure, medical research and development, health informatics and innovation, among other areas.

Quality education

We believe in ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. We invest in education infrastructure, research and innovation, student loan schemes and learning exchanges across Europe.

Gender equality

We are invested in achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. Examples of the operations we support include women-led businesses, climate action with a gender lens and designing infrastructure that take women’s needs into account.

Clean water and sanitation

We are committed to ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. We invest in expanding access to safe drinking water, improved wastewater management and protecting against floods and other water-related disasters.

Affordable and clean energy

We invest in ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. We support a wide range of operations, from renewable energy and energy efficiency to innovation and energy infrastructure.

Decent work and economic growth

We are committed to promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. We provide advisory and financial support to startups, scaleups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are the backbone of the economy. All our operations must meet our Environmental and Social Policy.

Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation are among our strategic priorities. Examples of the operations we support include digitalisation, cleantech, health, life sciences, new materials and critical raw materials.

Sustainable cities and communities

We invest in making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. We support a wide range of operations, from urban development and mobility to public transport and affordable housing.

Climate action

As the climate bank, taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts is at the heart of what we do. We invest in projects that mitigate global warming by reducing, preventing or absorbing greenhouse gas emissions. We also support operations that help us adapt to the effects of climate change, making our communities more resilient.

EIB Global

We look at how much of our support for the Sustainable Development Goals in 2024 was invested outside the European Union.

Our Climate and Sustainability Awareness Bonds

Significant investment is needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The European Investment Bank supports the mobilisation of capital for the SDGs through its Climate Awareness Bonds and Sustainability Awareness Bonds. The EU Taxonomy Regulation defines the activities that are considered sustainable. The EIB issues Climate and Sustainability Awareness Bonds in gradual alignment with the EU Taxonomy Regulation. The proceeds are allocated to sustainable investments for environmental and social objectives, from reducing CO2 emissions to improving access to clean water. The Bank has issued more than €125 billion of Climate and Sustainability Awareness bonds, making it the world’s largest third-party verified issuer of such bonds.

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Our methodology

All of our operations are designed to have a positive socioeconomic impact as well as sound financial returns. We measure our impact by collecting detailed data on all our operations. This ensures that the tangible benefits of the Group’s activities are traceable at multiple levels, from countries and sectors down to individual project promoters and final beneficiaries.

Our operations may contribute to several SDGs, as the goals are deeply interconnected. For a comprehensive picture of how the Group supports the SDGs we establish a link between each operation financed and all the SDGs it contributes to. On average, each EIB project is mapped to four SDGs while EIF’s projects are linked to three SDGs.

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The EIB Group’s SDG reporting methodology is comparable to that of other multilateral development banks in financial terms and in terms of project outputs and outcomes.

The operations carried out by the EIB and the EIF are different in nature. Each entity’s approach to measuring their contributions to the SDGs reflects the specific characteristics of their respective business models.

How European Investment Bank project results are mapped to the SDGs

Each EIB project is mapped to several SDGs using a range of data elements, including the project’s location, sector, anticipated results, eligibility and the type of financing product used. The process is fully automated. EIB experts review the results, and may modify a mapping result to take account of context-specific factors when necessary.

When reporting on our contribution to the SDGs from a purely financial perspective, we avoid double counting by assigning each operation to a sole “primary” SDG – the one closest to the main objective of the operation.

How European Investment Funds operations are mapped to the SDGs

The EIF works with financial intermediaries to promote access to finance for small businesses and entrepreneurs in line with the European Union’s priorities. This is why the EIF’s SDG reporting is based on the amount of financing made available to these intermediaries.

Each operation’s contribution to the SDGs is determined by how it aligns with the EIF’s policy framework, which includes four public policy goals and 16 policy objectives, each mapped to one or more SDG targets. To calculate the contribution of EIF operations to the SDGs, the operations are mapped to these policy objectives.

The EIF’s current activities support the full range of SDGs with the exception of SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions). Additionally, the EIF considers other information about its operations when calculating its contributions to the SDGs, especially for SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 13 (climate action).

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