EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti and Director General for Operations Jean-Christophe Laloux represented the European Investment Bank Group at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on 22-26 May. This year’s forum centred on the theme “History at a Turning Point: Government Policies and Business Strategies.” 

The EIB Group joined the debate and highlighted the Bank’s initiatives in areas and regions that are at a turning point. The EIB Group is financing the “twin transition”- green and digital, worldwide, and ensuring that no one is left behind.

The Bank has supported Ukraine, following the Russian invasion, with an emergency solidarity package and has unlocked €4 billion to help manage the refugee crisis. Via its new development arm, EIB Global, the Bank is scaling up its activities outside the European Union in partnership with local institutions and other multilateral banks.

“I am delighted to represent the EIB Group this year at the World Economic Forum, which gathers the world’s top leaders from politics, business, civil society, academia, media, and the arts,” said EIB Vice-President Vigliotti. “During the event, I will make the case that now is the perfect time to take the quantum leap in mobilising green and sustainable finance. Russia’s war against Ukraine shows us how critical it is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated what we can achieve, in a relatively short time, when we act together. Despite the immediate crises, we cannot afford to lose focus on averting a global crisis that will be more disruptive than anything we have experienced in recent years. It is now or never. The EIB, as the EU’s climate bank, will play its part in this by activating sustainable investments to make fragile economies more resilient to climate shocks both within and outside Europe and by crowding in the private sector to promote the twin transition – green and digital”.  

EIB Vice-President Vigliotti participated in the following panels:

  • Monday 23 May at 2.15 pm: Building Economies in Fragile Markets.
  • Monday 23 May at 5.00 pm: Panel on Humanitarian and Resilience Investing - Creating Pathways to Scale. 
  • Tuesday 24 May at 12.00 pm: Financial Inclusion: Addressing the Largest Gaps.
  • Tuesday 24 May at 6.00 pm: Multilateral session - Moving clean hydrogen from hype to reality.
  • Wednesday 25 May at 7.30 am: Session on Diplomacy Dialogue on the Western Balkans.
  • Wednesday 25 May at 9.00 am: Session on Industry Net-Zero Transformation - The Financing Challenge.

EIB Director General for Operations Jean-Christophe Laloux participated in the following panels:

  • Wednesday 25 May at 7.00 am: Panel discussion with Heads of major financial institutions - Big-picture view of the 3 Seas initiative from the perspective of Western financial institutions.
  • Wednesday 25 May at 9.30 am: Joint Governors Policy Meeting: Net-Zero infrastructure