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  • EIB Vice-President Kris Peeters, EU Ambassador to Indonesia Vincent Piket and EU Ambassador to ASEAN Igor Driesmans open Southeast Asia and the Pacific regional representation office in Jakarta.
  • EIB to step up activities in the region and prioritise financing for climate action, urban transport, healthcare, energy security and sustainable infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia with around €2.6 billion worth of projects in the pipeline.
  • EIB regional representation office builds on three decades of EIB involvement in financing projects in the region, including Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.

The European Investment Bank, the bank of the European Union (EU) and the world’s largest multilateral lender, has opened a regional representation office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific in Jakarta, Indonesia. Finance Minister of the Republic of Indonesia Sri Mulyani Indrawati joined EIB Vice-President Kris Peeters, EU Ambassador to Indonesia Vincent Piket and EU Ambassador to ASEAN Igor Driesmans to formally open the EIB’s new office today. It is located at the same premises as the EU Delegation to Indonesia and to ASEAN, with a regional representation office in Suva, Fiji, covering the Pacific.

The EIB office in Jakarta will work to ensure that the development loans granted in cooperation with our financial partners accelerate growth, make rural areas more prosperous, transform cities into innovation hubs and strengthen economies. The EIB Jakarta office follows the decision of the EIB shareholders — the 27 EU Member States — to create the dedicated development branch EIB Global and strengthen the Bank’s international presence.

Ahead of the opening, Vice-President Peeters met ten ambassadors of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to present investment opportunities unlocked by the European Commission, Team Europe and the EIB. The EU bank is ready to finance regional climate action, climate change mitigation projects, green energy and the just transition in carbon-neutral economies, sustainable and disaster-resilient infrastructure development, urban development, digitalisation, transport and the blue economy.

EIB Vice-President Kris Peeters, who is in charge of Bank operations in Southeast Asia, said: “I am delighted to open our new regional representation office in Jakarta. It reinforces Team Europe’s presence in Indonesia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The EIB office will contribute to fostering new, multi-million euro investment opportunities in projects that will help the region tackle its most urgent investment needs, all in a green, sustainable way. In Indonesia alone we are ready to invest up to €1 billion in projects each year and I invite the country’s public and private sectors to consider our invitation to cooperate on the ambitious green and sustainable development of the country and its economy. We want to establish ourselves as a reliable partner of Indonesia and Southeast Asia and help ensure that the country and the region grow and develop in a way that is green, sustainable and empowering, limiting the effects of climate change, and strengthening the national independence of EU partner countries.”

Markus Berndt, Acting Managing Director of EIB Global, said: “The EIB’s goal is to reinforce its position and the position of the European Union as a reliable partner for Indonesia and Southeast Asia in tackling some of the most urgent issues of today. EIB Global will work with partner countries in the region to unlock green, sustainable and empowering growth and development. We want to limit the effects of climate change while unlocking faster social and economic development, and ultimately strengthen the national independence of our partner countries. EIB Global will be one of the main tools to achieve this ambitious goal and I look forward to the Jakarta office’s contribution.”

EU Ambassador to Indonesia Vincent Piket said: “With the EIB’s permanent presence in Jakarta, we can do more to strengthen the EU-Indonesia partnership on climate action, the energy transition and sustainable urban development. The EIB’s permanent presence on the ground will ensure proximity and the EIB’s increased operational delivery capability, as well as closer institutional ties with national authorities. We hope that this will bring our close cooperation to the next level.”

EU Ambassador to ASEAN Igor Driesmans said: “The EIB is a key strategic partner to advance the Global Gateway — an EU initiative to narrow the investment gap and help tackle the most pressing global challenges, from fighting climate change to improving health systems and boosting the competitiveness and security of global supply chains. With the opening of an EIB regional office in Jakarta, this will ensure increased cooperation between the European Union, the EIB and ASEAN partners.”

Sunita Lukkhoo, new head of the EIB Regional Representation for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said: “The office is a new page for the Bank’s cooperation with Indonesian, Asian, Team Europe and global partners. The EIB is bringing more affordable long-term financing as well as our advisory support for project preparation to Southeast Asia. The Bank has a unique ability to blend our own finances with EU funds and investment initiatives such as the Global Gateway for the maximum benefit of final users — the people of Southeast Asia. The EIB will be able to better respond to private and public investment priorities and build on its six decades of best practice engagement on projects worldwide. I look forward to connecting our public and private sector from the region with the European Union and the EIB, and to contributing to more cooperation between the region and the European Union.”

The EIB Jakarta office was formally opened in Indonesia in the presence of government, business and banking leaders, civil society and the diplomatic corps.

Strengthening the impact of EIB and Team Europe in Southeast Asia and the Pacific

The European Investment Bank is the world’s largest international public bank, and the new regional representation office in Jakarta will further accelerate the EIB’s technical and financial support for high-impact investment across the region. Regional EIB hubs and regional representation offices will make it easier for projects across Indonesia and Southeast Asia to secure financing and offer direct support to project promoters.

To date, the EIB has been engaged and invested in energy, urban transport, climate action, rural infrastructure, urban development and transport projects in Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines, and has invested over €625 million in the last ten years alone.

In the coming months, the new Jakarta office will expand and increase its expertise on climate action, innovation and digital investment in close cooperation with its partners based in Southeast Asia and the Pacific and with Team Europe.

EIB Global — accelerating cooperation with the EU and partner countries across the world

EIB Global is the new development arm of the Bank launched in 2022. It builds on more than six decades of EIB operations outside the European Union and brings all the resources of the EIB to bear on operations outside the European Union. EIB Global will foster strong, focused partnerships with countries around the globe, including Indonesia.

EIB Global will also ensure that countries such as Indonesia benefit from financing initiatives introduced by the European Union, such as the European Green Deal and the EU Global Gateway. These programmes will improve EU partnership with countries and provide long-term sustainable funding for connectivity projects, accelerate climate action and digitalisation, and strengthen healthcare systems, education and research.

EIB Global brings all the EIB’s activities beyond the European Union together into a single entity to amplify the impact of everything that the Bank does. EIB Global enables the Bank to use its expertise and resources to act on the ground exactly where it is needed, in close cooperation with Team Europe and all our partners, development finance institutions and civil society.

Fully in line with the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, the aim of EIB Global is to finance projects to adapt to climate change while mitigating its consequences, and to set up sustainable and innovative solutions for climate action.

Specific financial tools and facilities providing support and assistance will continue to be rolled out through EIB Global to shore up riskier projects around the world, particularly in the field of climate action, and ensure that the most vulnerable populations have access to water, electricity and healthcare.

Women are also a key focus of our action, as we seek to empower them to become more self-reliant and participate in society and business on an equal footing.

EIB Global in Indonesia

Working in Indonesia, EIB Global will prioritise investment in infrastructure, renewable energy, waste and water, marine litter and plastics reduction, and support for the Indonesian government’s UN Sustainable Development Goal Agenda.

EIB Global will also expand Team Europe’s support for the government of Indonesia in achieving its plans to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 41% by 2030. Low-carbon urban infrastructure development projects like the bus and rail rapid transit systems are key to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, as cities worldwide produce some 70% of all these emissions worldwide.

Background information

About EIB Global:

EIB Global is the EIB Group’s new arm dedicated to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance. EIB Global is designed to foster strong, focused partnership within Team Europe, alongside fellow development finance institutions and civil society. EIB Global brings the Group closer to local people, companies and institutions through our offices across the world

https://twitter.com/EIBGlobal

https://www.linkedin.com/company/eib-global/

EIB Global will ensure countries outside the European Union, including Indonesia, can benefit from billions of euros in opportunities. In Indonesia, EIB Global is looking to support urban development, renewable energy and climate adaptation projects.

About the EIB in Asia:

For 25 years, the European Investment Bank has supported economic development in Asia and the Pacific region. The projects we help finance make people’s lives easier, from cutting travel times in Bangalore with a new metro line, to providing access to drinking water and rural roads in Cambodia.

In Asia, we have chosen to focus our lending on climate action across all sectors. We also work to include gender equality in our projects, ensuring that women, men, girls and boys can benefit from projects equally and equitably.