BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 5. The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen global trade and investment and support sustainable economic development, Trend reports via the EIB.
The agreement, signed at the EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg, formalizes cooperation between EIB Global, the bank’s international partnerships and development finance arm, and the WTO Secretariat to promote investment, facilitate trade, and enhance commerce-related capacity building.
As part of the collaboration, the two organizations will launch the “EIB-WTO Trade and Investment Facilitation Initiative,” initially focusing on selected partner countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative aims to unlock investment in sectors such as green and digital transition, health, education, sustainable growth, and job creation, aligning with the EU’s Global Gateway priorities.
“Europe stands firmly behind a fair and rules-based global trading system,” said EIB Group President Nadia Calviño. “This agreement will help turn trade policy dialogue into concrete, high-impact investments, attracting better-quality investment to partner countries while creating new trading opportunities for EU businesses.”
The MoU also includes analytical and research collaboration, exchanging insights on global investment and trade trends to inform policy and operational decisions. Both organizations will support regulatory reforms in partner countries, with a particular focus on the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement, which sets global rules to facilitate foreign direct investment flows by improving regulatory frameworks and reducing red tape.
“The new EIB–WTO partnership represents an important step toward mobilizing finance and strengthening the investment environment in developing countries,” said WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. “This partnership aligns policy reform efforts with catalytic financing, promising to unlock private investment in strategic sectors including critical minerals, digital technologies, and the bioeconomy.”
Under the initiative, the EIB will assist countries in project preparation and investment readiness, providing advisory support and potentially funding through blended finance instruments to attract additional private capital and ensure sustainable long-term development.
The EIB is also pursuing parallel initiatives to boost EU exports and investments globally, aiming for larger-scale, more competitive engagements both within and outside the EU.