Brussels, 26 May 2020


Check against delivery


A big thank you to the High Representative for European External Action Service and Vice President of the European Commission, Mr Josep Borrell, as well as the Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister, Ms Arancha Gonzalez Laya, for convening this conference together with IOM and UNHCR.

It is a real pleasure to be here with you today after the Solidarity migration conference of October 2019. A lot has changed since then!  

The EIB Group has been working hard to mitigate the effects of this terrible pandemic.

As part of ‘Team Europe’ led by the European Commission, the EIB Group is committed to provide financing of up to EUR 5.2bn to strengthen health services and accelerate support for economic resilience in more than 100 countries around the world.

At the EU bank, we are also financing R&D efforts to find effective treatments and vaccines, aimed at global access. 

The pandemic is adding to the hardships of refugees and forced migrants, placing additional strain on vulnerable hosting communities.

To strengthen the resilience of those countries most impacted by the migration exodus from Venezuela, the EU Bank is building an investment pipeline of up to EUR 400 Million.

With the support of the EU Commission under the External Lending Mandate, the EIB will finance social and economic infrastructure, ensuring sustainable water and wastewater treatment, clean energy, education for all, healthcare, and the creation of sustainable jobs.  

Resilience and projects improving services for refugees, migrants and hosting populations alike will remain central to approach, as we have shown in the context of:

Ladies and gentlemen, at this Conference today Europe is demonstrating that it stands ready to respond to global responsibilities, despite the difficult times.

We at the EU Bank will play our role in economically supporting Europe and its partners in the post-crisis transformation.

…Thank you for your attention.