- EIB Group financing in Bulgaria rises 72% to €646 million in 2025
- Operations support about 4,700 Bulgarian companies and over 118,000 jobs
- Bulgarian scale-ups get prolonged backing and copper production set to expand
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group’s financing in Bulgaria jumped 72% last year to €646 million, strengthening businesses, jobs and innovation across the country. The funding increase from €375 million in 2024 accelerated Bulgaria’s economic, environmental and social alignment with the rest of the European Union.
The support last year is projected to mobilise investments of around €2.2 billion – equal to 1.9% of Bulgaria’s gross domestic product (GDP). The EIB Group also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), which focuses on financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe.
Most of the EIB Group’s funding in Bulgaria last year went to projects that promote economic and social alignment with the rest of the European Union. About a third was dedicated to climate action and environmental sustainability.
“We are supporting Bulgarian companies with long-term funding on favourable terms,” said EIB Vice-President Marek Mora. “Our financing is strengthening industry and innovation, advancing a green and socially fair transition and helping businesses move from plans to delivery. Our commitment to Bulgaria is and will remain steadfast.”
Separately last year, the EIB Group extended to projects in Bulgaria a total of €30 million under the EU’s Recovery and Resilience facility – set up by the European Commission after the Covid-19 pandemic as part of an economic-recovery programme.
In 2025, the EIB Group supported around 4,700 SMEs as well as Mid-Caps and approximately 118,400 jobs in Bulgaria by unlocking fresh liquidity for businesses. Such operations enable companies that make a major contribution to jobs, innovation and economic growth to overcome obstacles to funding for business development and expansion.
At the end of last year, the EIF and the Bulgarian government agreed to extend until 2035 a €350 million EU initiative known as “Joint European Resources for Micro to Medium Enterprises”, or JEREMIE. Under the arrangement, €160 million will be available for the Bulgarian economy as of this year and support deep-tech, technology transfer and artificial intelligence projects. The capital will enable Bulgarian innovative companies to scale regionally and across the EU.
JEREMIE has positioned Bulgaria as a pioneer in the professional market-orientated use of EU funding and has enabled the emergence of a vibrant venture capital and private equity ecosystem in the country. Over the past 15 years under EIF management, the Bulgarian operations of JEREMIE have supported more than 10,000 SMEs and deployed over €1.6 billion in loans and equity investments, multiplying approximately five times the initial public resources.
The EIB last year supported manufacturing in Bulgaria through a €200 million loan to Germany-based Aurubis AG, which is a global provider of non-ferrous metals and has a production plant in the Bulgarian town of Pirdop. The financing is part of a strategy to bolster Europe’s supply of critical raw materials.
Part of the loan to Aurubis is for the expansion of copper refining capacity at the Pirdop plant, which will increase cathode production by 50% to cover growing European demand for copper. The expansion, due to be completed this year, will support Bulgarian economic development, boost the country’s exports and create jobs.
To propel Bulgaria’s transition towards clean energy, EIB advisory teams are working with the Ministry of Energy to decarbonise the Maritsa East energy complex – home to Europe’s largest open-pit lignite mine and several coal-fired power plants. The EIB’s advisory unit is helping develop priority projects for the site and strengthening the ministry’s capacity to manage complex initiatives and secure additional EU funding.
Separately in 2025, the EIB advised the Ministry of Energy on the rollout of municipality-led energy communities across Bulgaria, enabling organisations and citizens jointly to produce, consume, store and sell renewables such as solar and wind power. As part of this support, the EIB developed an easy-to-use digital tool that allows Bulgarian municipalities to assess the technical and financial feasibility of community energy initiatives.
Last year, the EIB’s advisory unit also worked with the Municipality of Burgas to develop a state-of-the art scientific campus and attract Bulgarian as well as international researchers and students to the city, which is Bulgaria’s fourth-largest and is a major industrial and tourist hub on the Black Sea. The EIB is proposing and evaluating financing options and helping devise an appropriate management and governance structure for the campus, which is scheduled to open in 2027.
Background information
EIB
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed a record €100 billion in new financing in 2025, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.