On 7 July 2026, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the financial activities of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group, endorsing the Bank's 2024-2027 strategic roadmap and calling for expanded financing in defence, critical raw materials, and affordable housing, while pressing for greater transparency and parliamentary oversight. The resolution, based on the annual report for 2025, sets out the Parliament's formal position on the EIB's operations and strategic alignment with EU priorities.
The resolution welcomes the EIB's role as a climate bank, with over 50% of annual investments allocated to the green transition, and notes EUR 33 billion in financing for Europe's energy security in 2025. It calls for technology-neutral evaluation criteria for low-carbon energy projects, including nuclear energy, respecting Member States' energy mix sovereignty. On defence and security, the resolution supports the March 2025 EIB Action Plan that unlocked EUR 4 billion in new financing for security and defence capabilities, and urges the Board of Governors to continue adapting lending practices to the defence industry. It specifically calls on Member States to amend the EIB's exclusion list to enable financing of weapons and ammunition beyond dual-use technologies, a move that could significantly alter the Bank's portfolio composition and risk profile.
The resolution also calls for increased investment in competitiveness-related priorities, particularly for SMEs, start-ups, and scaling up innovative European companies. It welcomes the TechEU programme, which aims to mobilise up to EUR 250 billion, and urges prioritising investments in semiconductors, battery value chains, digital sovereignty, and clean tech manufacturing. On critical raw materials, the resolution calls for increased EIB investment in extraction, recycling, and processing of secondary raw materials in line with the Critical Raw Materials Act. In the area of cohesion, agriculture, and housing, it encourages deeper cooperation with national promotional banks, use of blended finance combining EU cohesion funds with EIB instruments, stepped-up activities in affordable housing, and support for young farmers.
On external action, the resolution supports EIB Global's role under the Global Gateway initiative, continued support for Ukraine, and calls for including migration management cooperation as a criterion in external lending for non-EU countries. Regarding governance, the resolution calls for a structured interinstitutional framework for enhanced parliamentary oversight, improved access to information, timely publication of detailed project information, strengthened human rights policies, independent environmental and social impact assessments, and establishment of appropriate external prudential oversight arrangements. It welcomes the EIB's availability to negotiate an agreement on enhanced cooperation with Parliament.
The resolution's provisions could reshape the EIB's investment priorities toward defence, critical technologies, and strategic autonomy, while potentially altering its risk profile. The call for enhanced transparency and oversight may lead to institutional changes in accountability mechanisms. The promotion of innovative financial instruments to mobilise private savings and support venture capital could increase the EIB's catalytic role in European capital markets. The resolution now serves as the Parliament's position for ongoing dialogue with the EIB and the Council, with potential follow-up in the form of a formal cooperation agreement between the Parliament and the Bank.