BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.4. The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group’s new financing in Greece reached a record €3.5 billion in 2025, up 59% from €2.2 billion in 2024, driven by increased support for climate action, water infrastructure, student housing, and business growth, the bank said, Trend reports.
Of the total, €3.2 billion came from the EIB and €271 million from the European Investment Fund (EIF), which targets small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The financing is expected to mobilise overall investments exceeding €9.2 billion, or 3.7% of Greece’s GDP.
Key projects include a €500 million EIB loan for sustainable urban infrastructure, €250 million for water upgrades in the Athens area, €95 million for student housing on Crete, and €90 million to boost production of critical raw materials, including bauxite and gallium – the first EIB-backed gallium facility in Europe.
EIB Vice-President Yannis Tsakiris said the record financing reflected strong confidence in Greece and its role in Europe’s industrial ecosystem. “With EIB support, Greece became the first country in Europe to establish gallium production, reinforcing its industrial ecosystem and strategic value chains,” he said.
Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis described the EIB as a “partner helping the country move from crisis management to shaping solutions for the future,” and pledged faster, more strategic investment in 2026.
The EIB also lent €288 million to Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator to connect the northeastern Aegean islands to the mainland grid and provided €17.5 million in venture debt to EV charging operator Joltie. EIB guarantees totalling €950 million were extended through Greek banks to support SME and mid-cap financing.
EIF activities in Greece included equity investments exceeding €220 million through nine operations and €49 million in guarantees projected to mobilise €340 million in financing for SMEs.
The EIB Group’s support in 2025 averaged €870 per inhabitant, making Greece one of the top EU beneficiaries relative to GDP, with around half of funding directed to climate and environmental projects.