European Commissioner for the Economy and Chair of the EBRD Board of Governors Valdis Dombrovskis opened the 2026 Annual Meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Riga on 5 June 2026, praising the Bank's record investment of €16.8 billion in 2025 and its sustained support for Ukraine. Dombrovskis, speaking in his home city, highlighted that the EBRD invested €2.9 billion in Ukraine in 2025 alone, with over €859 million in grants directed to the country, more than half provided by the EU. He also noted the successful third capital increase with a 95% take-up, signalling strong shareholder confidence.
Dombrovskis, who also serves as the EU's Governor to the EBRD, welcomed the Bank's first-ever investments in sub-Saharan Africa and operations in Iraq, reflecting strategic expansion. He emphasised that the EBRD's investments of almost €4 billion across 11 EU countries in 2025 underline its continued relevance in advanced economies. The speech reaffirmed the Bank's unique political mandate to promote democracy, rule of law, and pluralism, and its role in supporting countries on the path to EU membership.
No prior coverage of this event exists in the archive, making this the first report on the 2026 Annual Meeting. Dombrovskis's address focused on concrete achievements and forward-looking commitments, with specific numerical targets and institutional developments, rather than vague declarations. The policy orientation is firmly supportive of the EBRD's expansion and its strategic role in Ukraine and EU candidate countries, while maintaining a conciliatory tone towards multilateral cooperation.
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