Agriculture, food and rural development

Today, the European Commission presents its proposal for a public sector loan facility under the Just Transition Mechanism. The facility will be implemented with the involvement of the EIB and will encourage investments that support the transition towards a climate-neutral economy by public sector authorities to the benefit of coal- and carbon-intensive regions. The facility will include €1.5 billion in grants from the EU budget and up to €10 billion in loans from the European Investment Bank’s own sources. The facility will mobilise up to between €25 and €30 billion of investments for helping territories and regions most affected by the transition to a climate-neutral economy, prioritising those that have less capacity to deal with the costs of the transition.

The EIB announced the launch of a new financing initiative that aims to unlock close to €1.6 billion of investment in the agriculture and bioeconomy sector. The financing aims to support private companies operating throughout the value chains of production and processing of food, bio-based materials and bioenergy. It will be guaranteed by the EU budget under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), which forms the financial pillar of the “Investment Plan for Europe”.

The EIB boosts its support for cities and regions to tackle climate change and foster social inclusion. During the last 5 years (2014-2018), the EU bank dedicated EUR 104 billion to urban lending including health, housing, urban transport or water and wastewater management.