Speaking at the Informal Ecofin meeting in Copenhagen, EIB Group President Nadia Calviño underlined the need to mobilise more risk capital in Europe and invited Danish banks to expand their cooperation with the EU bank.
“The biggest challenge in Europe is not the lack of ideas or innovation, but the lack of capital to turn them into reality. We would very much like to do more in Denmark with the banks, if there is interest,” Calviño said in an interview with FinansWatch.
The EIB Group has already worked with major Danish banks such as Danske Bank, Jyske Bank, Sydbank, Ringkjøbing Landbobank and Kompasbank through loan and guarantee agreements. A landmark deal with Sydbank in 2024 provided a €400 million guarantee framework to support loans for larger companies, a model the EIB Group would like to expand.
Climate action remains the EIB Group’s top priority, but defence and security have recently moved higher on the agenda. Earlier this year the Bank tripled its guarantee and loan facility for the sector from €1 billion to €3 billion, targeted particularly at SMEs in the supply chains of larger companies. “I also hope that we can conclude an agreement with a Danish bank in the field of security and defence,” Calviño added.
While overall demand from Danish banks is described as moderate, reflecting their strong liquidity and access to capital markets, the EIB sees potential for deepening partnerships. Calviño stressed that Europe remains a global powerhouse in trade, technology and green innovation, with Denmark as a prime example, and underlined the urgency of mobilising more private capital so that European companies can grow and compete globally.
Read the full interview in FinansWatch (in Danish).