Description
The evaluation analyses the relevance, effectiveness and financial performance of EIB and EIF operations providing debt support to SMEs and mid-caps.
The evaluation found that over time the EIB Group has diversified its response to better respond to needs of its clients and of SMEs and mid-caps. Yet, the evaluation highlights a lack of clarity surrounding the objectives and focus of EIB Group’s support for SMEs and mid-caps. The evaluation found the deployment of support to be effective overall, albeit with occasional delays and cancellations in case of specific products. Finally, the evaluation found that the EIB Group currently does not collect much information on the customer experience of beneficiaries, nor does it make full use of the information being collected.
This evaluation recommends the EIB to:
- Define an up-to-date strategy for its SME and mid-cap support.
- Accelerate the exploration of incentives for thematic operations.
- Stand ready to adapt to the needs of financial intermediaries.
- Strengthen its focus on final beneficiaries.
