European Investment Bank

The EIB attaches the highest importance to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in order to promote growth and jobs in Europe. The President of the EIB, Werner Hoyer, stated during the annual meeting of the EIB’s Board of Governors in Brussels: “The EIB sees its support for small and medium-sized businesses in the current economic climate as its number one priority.” Following the EIB’s paid-in capital increase of EUR 10 billion last year, the EU bank will lend an additional EUR 15 billion to SMEs during 2013 to 2015.

EIB President Werner Hoyer joined Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, the UN Secretary General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, to deliver a keynote speech on financial inclusion on the occasion of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor’s (CGAP) council of governor’s annual meeting in Amsterdam on 15 May. 

It is vital that small and medium-sized businesses are able to invest, even during a downturn. The EIB Group (EIB and EIF)  is increasing its support to SMEs for the period 2013 to 2015 thanks to the EIB’s capital increase agreed in 2012. Last year already, we provided EUR 13bn to help finance more than 200 000 SMEs across Europe.