BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.12. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has pledged 100 million euros to a facility managed by Eiffel Investment Group to support energy savings by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the European Union, Trend reports via the EIB.
The commitment will go to the Eiffel Energy Efficiency Co-Investment Facility, known as the E4 Facility, which aims to strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs by cutting electricity and fuel costs and accelerating the shift to greener energy sources.
Acting as an anchor investor, the EIB will finance equity and quasi-equity instruments alongside investment vehicles managed by Eiffel Investment Group to speed up the deployment of advanced energy-efficient technologies. The facility aims to mobilise a total of 1.2 billion euros in investment across the EU by 2030 and follows an Article 9 strategy under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation.
The E4 Facility targets companies developing and implementing energy efficiency projects, primarily in the low-carbon economy. SMEs account for 99% of businesses in the EU and around two-thirds of private sector jobs.
A key focus of the partnership is financing so-called “energy efficiency as a service” models, under which firms shift from purchasing equipment outright to buying targeted energy-saving services. The approach is designed to help SMEs and other eligible beneficiaries access green technologies while reducing upfront costs.
The facility was inaugurated at a signing ceremony in Luxembourg attended by partner banks and other stakeholders. The event highlighted green intermediated financing and advisory products offered by the EIB Group, which includes the European Investment Fund (EIF).
The E4 Facility builds on cooperation between the EIB and Eiffel Investment Group dating back to 2017 to accelerate Europe’s green energy transition.
It is also part of the broader EIB Group Energy Efficiency for SMEs initiative, launched last year with support from the European Commission. The initiative aims to provide 17.5 billion euros in financing by 2027 to help up to 350,000 SMEs reduce energy costs and carbon emissions.
In 2025 alone, the initiative delivered 6 billion euros in financing, double the amount provided in 2024, enabling up to 150,000 SMEs to invest in energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects in its first year.
The Solar Impulse Foundation, a non-profit organisation promoting “servitisation” models such as energy efficiency as a service, is also supporting the initiative. The concept was first highlighted at COP29 in 2024.
The EIB Group, owned by the EU’s 27 member states, is one of the world’s largest multilateral development banks. In 2025, it signed 100 billion euros in new financing and advisory services for more than 870 projects aligned with EU priorities, including climate action, digitalisation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture, social infrastructure and global partnerships.