EIB Group President Calviño visits Montenegro to launch over €250million of investments for energy security, healthcare, railway services and SMEs in support of the country’s EU path

• The EIB President welcomed Montenegro’s progress and reaffirmed continued support for its goal to close accession talks by end of this year.
• More than €250 million of new funding launched during the visit will boost the healthcare system, modernise the Bar–Golubovci railway and support the energy transition among SMEs. 
• In 2026, EIB aims to triple last year’s EIB Group investments in the country.  
• President Calviño and EIB Vice President Robert de Groot also met Montenegro's President Milatović and Prime Minister Spajić and visited an EIB-financed school in Podgorica.

European Investment Bank (EIB) Group President Nadia Calviño visited Montenegro today, announcing new investments of more than €250 million for key development projects ranging from healthcare, railways and energy security and resilience in the private sector. The financing paves the way for a tripling of funding from the EIB in the country this year compared to 2025.

EIB President Calviño and EIB Vice-President Robert de Groot also met with President Jakov Milatović and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and pledged EIB Group’s support for Montenegro’s goal of closing accession talks by the end of 2026. During her first visit to the country since she took office in 2024, President Calviño also highlighted European Union support for school upgrades across Montenegro with a visit to the renovated "Sergije Stanić" vocational training centre.

She also witnessed the signing by EIB Vice-President Robert de Groot, Montenegro's Minister of Finance Novica Vuković, Minister of Maritime Affairs Filip Radulović and Chief Executive Officer of the Development Bank of Montenegro Nikola Tripković, of investments of more than €250 million for projects, which include:

• a €27 million loan to the Ministry of Health of Montenegro to equip more than 30 public hospitals and clinics with new medical technologies. The project will strengthen Montenegro’s healthcare system, improve disease prevention and the quality of medical services.
• a €175 million to upgrade a railway line between the port of Bar and the town of Golubovci, near the capital Podgorica. The funds, comprising a €63 million loan and a €112 million EU grant under the Western Balkans Investment Framework, will increase the capacity, efficiency, and safety of rail transport in the country, while boosting trade as well as regional and EU integration.
• a €50 million loan to the Development Bank of Montenegro to support new credit lines for small and medium enterprises to deploy renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, enhancing energy security and resilience in the private sector.
• The investments signed today will contribute to a tripling of EIB financing this year compared to 2025.

“As an investment engine of EU accession, the EIB Group welcomes Montenegro's impressive progress and will continue supporting its path towards membership of the European Union,” said President Calviño." With this new financing, we are also helping to improve the daily lives of citizens and businesses: boosting the healthcare system with state-of-the art technology, modernising the Bar–Golubovci railway and accelerating energy transition among SMEs to support the country's energy security.”

Since 2009, the EIB Group has committed €1.5 billion in Montenegro in key areas such as education, health, environment, SMEs and sustainable transport. The country is the highest EIB beneficiary per capita relative to GDP in the Western Balkans and among the enlargement countries. 

“We are supporting Montenegro's efforts to increase transport connectivity and energy security, while fostering regional and EU integration,” said Vice-President De Groot. “To help companies decarbonise and stay competitive, we are deploying a new credit line with the Development Bank of Montenegro, and together we are committed to doing more.”

“Further confirmation of the strong partnership between Montenegro and the EIB is today’s signing of contracts for the implementation of important development projects in our country in the fields of transport infrastructure and healthcare”, said Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić. “These are investments that citizens directly feel through an improved quality of life, while at the same time representing confirmation that Montenegro is responsibly implementing reforms and progressing on its European path, with the aim of becoming a full member of the EU in 2028.”

 “These new projects are tangible proof that the European partnership delivers visible results - modern hospitals, better equipment, higher-quality healthcare, as well as more modern and safer transport infrastructure,” said Montenegrin Finance Minister Novica Vuković. “A healthy population and a strong healthcare system, along with quality infrastructure, form the foundation of a stable society and sustainable economic development.”

The new EIB accord with the Development Bank of Montenegro builds on a longstanding partnership between both organisations that seeks to bolster the competitiveness of SMEs and help prepare them for full integration into the EU single market.

“Development Bank of Montenegro, in partnership with the EIB, is reaffirming its leading role in driving investment growth and strengthening the competitiveness of the economy,” said Development Bank of Montenegro Chief Executive Officer Nikola Tripković. “Through this financial contract, we continue to support public and private sector initiatives, SMEs, mid-cap companies and green investments, with a strong focus on job creation, youth employment and climate-focused projects, contributing to a more competitive, resilient, and greener economy in the context of Montenegro’s EU accession process.”

The EIB opened a representation office in Montenegro in November 2025. Located in the Delegation of the EU to Montenegro, the office is committed to strengthening joint efforts to increase investments in the country.

“As Montenegro advances on its EU accession path, with impressive progress in the negotiations over the past 18 months, the stronger involvement of the European Investment Bank in the modernisation and development of Montenegro is particularly welcome,” said EU Ambassador to Montenegro Johan Sattler. “The visit of the EIB President is a very positive signal that Team Europe is here to support the country’s drive for modernisation and change. I welcome, in particular, the EIB’s engagement in supporting the development of local infrastructure, notably the railway and the further development of the Bar–Boljare Highway, as well as its involvement in education and environmental infrastructure. All these investments are bringing tangible improvements to the lives of Montenegrin citizens and will help Montenegro successfully integrate into the EU.”

President Calviño and Vice-President De Groot, together with Montenegro’s Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Anđela Jakić Stojanović, and Minister of Public Works, Majda Adžović, visited the Public Secondary Vocational School “Sergije Stanić” and reaffirmed their strong commitment to the Montenegro Education Programme, aiming at improving learning conditions and modernising educational infrastructure across the country.

Minister Jakšić Stojanović expressed her gratitude to the EIB for its strong and continuous support for Montenegro’s education system, emphasizing that investments in schools and kindergartens represent an investment in higher-quality education, a safer and more stimulating environment for students, and the country’s long-term social and economic development.

Background information

EIB Group  

The European Investment Bank (EIB) 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 in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under 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 investments 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 EIB Group in the Western Balkans:

The EIB Group is a leading international financier in the Western Balkans. The Group has invested over €16 billion in the region since the beginning of operations. Alongside its continued support to help rebuild and upgrade public infrastructure, since 2010 the EIB has expanded into many new areas, such as healthcare, research and development, education and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). www.eib.org/en/publications/the-eib-in-the-western-balkans

About the EIB in Montenegro

The EU bank has been an active partner of Montenegro, providing €1.5 billion in loans to the country, mostly in support of SMEs, education and transport infrastructure. Montenegro and the EIB