Romania to strengthen climate-resilient water networks with EIB advisory support

• EIB to advise Romanian Investment and Development Bank on plans to bolster water infrastructure across country
• New advisory agreement to help unlock financing for climate-resilient water and wastewater projects   
• Accord includes capacity building and project related advisory

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will advise its Romanian counterpart on strengthening water networks across the country. Under a new advisory services agreement, the EIB will provide advisory support and capacity building to the Romanian Investment and Development Bank (BID) to advance  climate-resilient water and wastewater infrastructure in Romania. Romania plans to upgrade ageing water infrastructure to address increasing climate risks – including more frequent droughts and floods – while ensuring compliance with European Union environmental legislation. The advisory accord was signed today at the annual EIB Forum in Luxembourg and stems from a request by the BID, which is seeking to reinforce its capacity to assess, structure and monitor water projects that enhance long-term climate resilience. The EIB is one of the world’s largest multilateral investors in the water industry and has long been a major supporter of Romanian initiatives in the sector. The new agreement with EIB Advisory will strengthen the BID’s role as a national financial intermediary, helping translate Romania’s climate-adaptation and water-management strategies into bankable investments fully aligned with EU legislation and EIB standards.

“As the EU climate bank, the EIB is dedicated to empowering strong national institutions that can turn policy ambition into impactful, high-quality investments. Through this advisory partnership, we are enhancing the financial and technical capacity of Romania’s Investment and Development Bank to effectively assess, structure and oversee climate-resilient water projects , ensuring full alignment with EU standards while delivering durable benefits for citizens and communities, “said EIB Vice-President Ioannis Tsakiris.

The role of EIB Advisory will help unlock financing, particularly for smaller Romanian municipalities and water utilities, by promoting innovative infrastructure including systems that integrate nature-based elements with traditional man-made engineering – so called green-grey infrastructure. Advisory support can bring investments to market more quickly.

“Through our long-standing partnership with the European Investment Bank, we are reinforcing the Investment and Development Bank’s role as a national financial intermediary for water and wastewater investments in Romania. This advisory support will enhance our ability to prepare and structure high-quality projects, improve access to financing — particularly for regional operators and smaller municipalities — and strengthen climate resilience across the sector.”— Raluca Nicolescu, General Director, BID Romania

Under the accord, EIB Advisory will work with the BID to strengthen project appraisal and preparation, enhance climate proofing and ensure compliance with EU laws and a European environmental principle known as “Do No Significant Harm”. The goal is to expand expertise in the financial and technical assessment of water and wastewater investments, reinforce environmental and social standards as well as monitoring frameworks and improve governance and oversight across the full investment cycle – from project identification to implementation and performance monitoring.

The advisory support will also enhance coordination between the BID and regional water operators by providing standardised tools, guidance and training. This will improve the quality and consistency of project pipelines submitted for financing and accelerate investments that strengthen climate resilience and sustainable water management nationwide.

The agreement complements the EIB’s global involvement in the water sector, including a commitment to invest €15 billion worldwide between 2025 and 2027 to strengthen water security, sustainability and climate resilience.

Background information  

EIB Group  

The European Investment Bank (ElB) Group is the long-term financing institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion of new financing for over 870 high-impact projects in eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investment union. High-quality, up-to-date photos of the organisation’s headquarters for media use are available here.

BID  

The Romanian Investment and Development Bank is the only development bank in the country and is 100% owned by the Romanian state through the Ministry of Finance. It was created at the end of 2023 through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and has an ambitious mission and a clear set of strategic objectives.