In 2024, the European Investment Bank (EIB) committed nearly EUR 8 billion outside the EU, taking credit for its contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the EU’s flagship initiative to mobilise sustainable investment worldwide. Yet, as the Bank updates its EIB Global Strategic Roadmap, it has failed to consult stakeholders in partner countries, missing an opportunity to ensure genuine partnership, ownership and impact.
The EU’s credibility as a global actor depends not only on its financial weight, but also on its ability to align investment with principles of democracy, human rights, gender equality, and sustainable development set out in one of the EU’s founding treaties. Unfortunately, neither the existing Roadmap nor investments outside the EU prioritise this development agenda.
We are calling for:
- Public, participatory consultations on the EIB Global Strategic Roadmap update;
- Stronger partnerships with local communities and civil society, particularly in countries where civic space is shrinking, such as Georgia and Egypt;
- Clear alignment with EU development objectives; and
- A gender strategy that reflects today’s realities.
Now is the time for the EIB to show that ‘beyond borders’ also means beyond rhetoric – towards genuine dialogue, shared ownership and a just global transition.
