- Former Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Marko Primorac to join the EIB Management Committee
- Vice-President Primorac to succeed Teresa Czerwińska of Poland
Croatia`s Marko Primorac has been appointed as new Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) today. He succeeds Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska of Poland as a member of the Bank’s Management Committee. He is the first Vice-President to represent Croatia at the EIB.
The EIB Board of Governors, composed of the finance ministers of the 27 European Union Member States, appointed Primorac following a nomination by the Croatian government where he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance since 2022. As one of eight vice-presidents of the EIB he will represent Croatia, Hungary and Poland.
"With his strong experience in public finance, both in Croatia and the EU, Marko Primorac will further strengthen the European Investment Bank’s capacity to deliver on EU priorities,” said EIB President Nadia Calviño.
“I am honoured to join the EIB at a time when investment in resilience, competitiveness and the green transition is more important than ever,” said Marko Primorac. “I look forward to contributing to the EIB’s mission across all Member States, including my home country Croatia and ensure we continue to fuel European global competitiveness and sustainable growth.”
During Marko Primorac’s mandate as a Finance Minister, Croatia met the Maastricht fiscal criteria for the first time in its history, improved its sovereign credit rating to the “A”, and successfully completed the processes of joining the euro area and the Schengen zone.
Before joining the Government of Croatia, Primorac worked full time as an associate professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Zagreb, specialising in public finance and fiscal policy. He has also worked and held positions in several international financial institutions as a member of their boards of governors, including the EIB.
European Investment Bank operations in Croatia date back to 1977, with total investments of over €11 billion in the Croatian economy to date. Financing supported all key sectors of Croatian economy including climate action, sustainable transport, renewable energy and social infrastructure, complemented by advisory programmes helping Croatia attract valuable investments and additional EU funds.
Background information
EIB Group
The European Investment Bank (ElB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion of new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects in eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investment union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds-in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe’s markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.
The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor and through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.
In 2023, the EIF together with six member states (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands) launched the European Tech Champions Initiative, a fund of funds to scale up innovative startups. This initiative has already enabled the creation of 14 European venture capital mega-funds and scaled up 40 companies, including 11 unicorns (with more than €1 billion in capital).