EIB Ireland Financing Group meets to strengthen investment partnership across key sectors

• EIB Group delivered €900 Million for Irish Innovation, Higher Education, Water and Transport in 2025
• New financing support confirmed for agrifood and agricultural innovation
• EIB Group strengthening advisory cooperation with Irish partners

The EIB Ireland Financing Group brought together Government Ministers and a European Investment Bank (EIB) Group delegation led by Vice-President Ioannis Tsakiris at the Department of Finance in Dublin.

Chaired by the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris TD, and attended by Government Ministers and senior government officials, the meeting reviewed the strong progress of the EIB Group's partnership with Ireland.

The Financing Group also mapped out strengthened future cooperation across a broad range of national investment priorities, including transport, innovation, housing, education, business financing, and agriculture.

Simon Harris, the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance who is Ireland's Governor at the EIB, said: "It is a pleasure to welcome Vice President Tsakiris and his colleagues to Dublin for today's latest meeting of the Ireland-EIB Financing Group. The Financing Group is a unique opportunity to further deepen and widen our already strong partnership with the EIB Group. Discussions between Ministerial colleagues and the EIB Group will ensure that the EIB's unique financial strength and technical expertise can accelerate transformational investment across the country to build on the EUR 900 million of EIB and EIF financing for Irish investment delivered in 2025. I also welcome the announcement of new EIB backing for agrifood investment that will support jobs, farmers and rural communities across the country."

EIB Vice President Ioannis Tsakiris said: "Everything we do at the European Investment Bank Group is about impact - real, measurable outcomes for people. Ireland is a country that knows how to translate financing into results, and that is why our partnership here continues to grow. Whether it is backing ground-breaking research, accelerating housing delivery, investing in world-class education, supporting moves to greener transport infrastructure, supporting farmers or financing the security and defence capabilities Europe needs, we bring not just capital but the best of international advisory practice. We are here in Ireland this week to go further and faster, and I look forward to seeing the results of this enhanced cooperation in the years ahead."

Strong Support in 2025

The meeting highlighted that in 2025, the EIB Group provided more than €900 million in new financing across Ireland for innovation, higher education, water and transport investment - continuing a sustained level of close to €1 billion in annual EIB Group engagement in the country. This includes €300m of EIB backing for water investment across Ireland confirmed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin during his visit to EIB headquarters in July last year.

This investment reflects Ireland's position as one of the EIB Group's most active and strategically important member state partners. Over the last decade, the EIB Group has provided more than €8 billion for long-term investment across Ireland, spanning education, energy, transport, social housing, healthcare, agriculture, water projects, and support for small businesses and corporate R&D.

New commitments and enhanced advisory cooperation

During the EIB delegation's visit this week, new support was confirmed for agrifood innovation and agriculture projects across Ireland, underlining the EIB Group's commitment to backing the full breadth of Ireland's development needs.

A new advisory agreement to support delivery of a nationwide public charging network was agreed with the Department of Transport. EIB experts will partner with Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) to design and deliver a nationwide network that will put a charging point within reach of every community.

The EIB delegation also held detailed discussions with Irish stakeholders on enhanced advisory cooperation, identifying opportunities to further deploy the EIB Group's world-class technical expertise alongside its financing across housing delivery, clean energy, sustainable transport, and the digital and innovation economy.

Looking Ahead

The EIB Ireland Financing Group meeting reinforced the ambition of both sides to intensify collaboration across all priority sectors.

With Ireland preparing to hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026, the EIB Group stands ready to support Ireland's strategic investment agenda at home and its leading role in shaping Europe's economic and investment future.

Further details on new financing agreed during this week's visit will be announced separately.

Background information

EIB Group  

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe's markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.