EIB Group President Nadia Calviño's opening remarks at the housing conference, Building Change: Boosting Innovation for Affordable and Sustainable Housing in Europe, which took place in Barcelona on Thursday, 30 October 2025.
Bon día!
Good morning, dear friends,
It is a great pleasure to virtually welcome you to Barcelona for this timely conference about innovation in Europe’s building sector.
Congratulations and thanks to the City of Barcelona, Mayor Collboni, and our partners for hosting this event and to all the speakers that kindly accepted to participate.
Today’s event marks the beginning of the EIB Group Roadshow to boost financing and innovation throughout Europe in this priority area for citizens and political leaders.
Over the past five years, we provided €15.6 billion in financing for affordable and sustainable housing. We created more liveable, sustainable cities across Europe. And we want to do more, stepping up action in three areas:
- Innovation: Providing targeted support for innovation in building materials, construction methods, and digitalisation, accelerating the adoption of new technologies to boost productivity and address labour shortages.
- Renovation: Expanding the scale for energy-efficient renovations of the huge building stock in Europe to reduce carbon footprint and energy bills.
- New build: Scaling up financing for new affordable housing schemes across the EU, with a strong focus on younger families.
These pillars reflect our commitment to helping address one of the most pressing social challenges facing Europe today.
As I have seen first-hand during my visits to the 27 member states, access to affordable housing is a shared concern across the Union. It affects young people, families, key workers and vulnerable communities, and it is increasingly recognised as a top political priority.
In October last year I visited a housing development here in Barcelona, which uses modular construction techniques. I saw the transformative impact of strategic investments in affordable housing.
We know that the construction sector holds enormous potential to help us meet this challenge but, according to the EIB Investment Finance Survey, only 24% of EU construction firms currently implement any form of innovation. That is a gap we must urgently reduce.
Today’s event is about solutions. It is about how we can accelerate the uptake of innovation, from industrialised construction and digitalisation to circular building practices and new sustainable materials. The tools exist so what we need now is greater scale, collaboration, and financing.
That is why I am proud to announce a €400 million TechEU envelope for innovation in housing that has been approved by our Board of Directors.
This will finance investments in research, innovation, digitalisation, and manufacturing, across the EU, supporting the development and competitiveness of the housing value chain.
This initiative will support modular production facilities, digital systems, and other transformative investments that can help build faster, cheaper, and greener homes, partnering with midcaps and corporates, cities, housing providers, manufacturers, and research centres to test and deploy innovative solutions at scale.
I am especially delighted that, during this event, the European Investment Bank and the City of Barcelona will sign a €113 million framework loan for social and energy efficient housing.
Cities are uniquely positioned to act as catalysts for change.
And under our Climate Neutral Cities initiative, this agreement confirms the long-standing relationship between our institutions and our shared commitment to tackling housing challenges in Barcelona and beyond. It shows how strong partnerships and innovative financing can deliver real impact, improving lives, supporting social inclusion, and advancing the energy transition at the local level.
Let me be clear: this is not just about building bricks and mortar. It is about competitiveness, inclusiveness and resilience. It is about ensuring that every citizen has access to a safe, affordable, and energy-efficient home, to develop their life plans and dreams.
I look forward to the fruitful discussions today between mayors, innovators, housing experts, researchers and financial leaders. Together, we are building the future of Europe.
Thank you!
¡Mis mejores deseos, un fuerte abrazo y hasta pronto!