The EIB set up a Public Register of environmental information to enhance the transparency of its operations. In accordance with Regulation (EC) N°1367/2006 (the Aarhus Regulation), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2021/767 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 October 2021, Community institutions and bodies shall organise the environmental information which is relevant to their function and which is held by them, with a view to its active and systematic dissemination to the public.
They are complementary. If you are looking for general information and documents on the EIB’s main activities, you should first consult the other parts of the website, which extensively inform the public about our activities. The Public Register, on the other hand, is a specific transparency tool which focuses on the environmental, climate, and social documents held by the Bank.
The Public Register currently includes the key project-related environmental and social documents held by the Bank, as well as some of the key policies with environmental objectives. These include:
- EIB Environmental and Social Data Sheets (ESDS), which reflect the EIB’s environmental and social due diligence review of the project and form part of the documentation submitted to the Governing Bodies for approval. ESDSs are published on the Public Register following project approval by the Governing Bodies. The EIB Public Register contains ESDSs for projects approved from 2012 onwards. For the high-risk (as defined by para 4.18 of the Environmental and Social Policy) Investment Loans, located outside of the EU, a draft ESDS is additionally published before the approval by the Board of Directors.
- EIB Environmental and Social Completion Sheets (ESCS), which reflect the Bank’s assessment of environmental and social aspects at project completion stage and are published on the Register after the completion of the EIB investment, and if the ESDS for the project has already been published.
- The full Environmental (and Social) Impact Assessment Studies/Statements/Reports for all projects, where applicable. These include EIA Reports for projects inside EU, and ESIA Reports for outside the EU.
- Social documentation, such as Resettlement Action Plans (RAP), Stakeholder Engagement Plans (SEP), Livelihood and Restoration/Compensation Plans, Resettlement Policy Frameworks, and Indigenous Peoples Development Plans. If applicable, these are published once available to the Bank.
- In addition, the Public Register also includes key policies with environmental objectives, reports, and guidelines.
No. The Public Register strikes a balance between its transparency objective and the administrative reality of the EIB. The Public Register currently contains both documents related to the projects financed by the Bank, which constitute the key part of the EIB’s activity, as well as some of the key policies with environmental content, strategies and guidelines produced by the EIB. Other documents such as brochures, press releases or other documents which might indirectly refer to the environment are already published on the Bank website and can be easily accessed by the public.
For more information, please see our “Guide to accessing environmental and social information/documents held by the EIB".
Yes. The EIB is progressively developing the Register and its content and technical features will continue to develop in the future.
The EIB welcomes comments and suggestions from all stakeholders as to how to further improve the Public Register.
You may consider to submit an application for access to documents in line with the EIB Group Transparency Policy. Application for access to documents can be sent to the EIB Infodesk. Alternatively, the EIB can be contacted through its external offices. Queries regarding details of a specific project, in particular when it is under appraisal by the EIB, should preferably be addressed directly to project promoters. The Bank does not object to project promoters, borrowers, or other competent parties making information available on their relationship and arrangements with the EIB.