European Investment Bank Group financing in Romania totalled €1.6 billion in 2025, with most of the money directed towards transport links, energy projects and support for small businesses.
The funding helped mobilise total investment of about €5 billion, which equals 1.3% of Romania’s gross domestic product, the bank announced in a statement on Monday.
More than €1.17 billion went to “sustainable cities and regions”, including transport links and urban infrastructure, while almost €185 million was invested in energy projects, according to the EIB.
Small and medium-sized enterprises received more than €170 million, and over €150 million supported innovation, digitalisation and human capital development.
Over half of EIB Group operations in Romania contributed directly to climate action and environmental sustainability, while 88% of the portfolio supported “cohesion” objectives — EU-backed efforts to reduce economic gaps between regions.
EIB Vice President Ioannis Tsakiris said: “Romania is advancing towards a greener, more connected, and competitive economy.”
The EIB Group was supporting investments in transport and urban infrastructure, clean energy and long-term growth, he added.
Motorway loan and a green bond
A key project backed in 2025 was work on Romania’s A1 motorway, including a 122-kilometre section between Pitești and Sibiu crossing the Carpathian Mountains, the EIB said.
The bank provided an initial €500 million loan to co-finance the section, which forms part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) — an EU programme to link major routes across the bloc.
The overall project cost is estimated at €5.5 billion, with the EIB planning to provide up to €1 billion alongside EU grants and national funding.
In energy, the EIB said it acted in July as anchor investor for Electrica’s first corporate green bond — a €500 million issue listed in Luxembourg and Bucharest — with proceeds earmarked for projects aligned with the EU taxonomy, a classification system that defines what counts as environmentally sustainable economic activity.
The EIB said its advisory unit JASPERS began work with Romania’s Ministry of Investments and European Projects to prepare integrated urban mobility investments in the Jiu Valley, with planned investments of about €30 million across six municipalities.
Separately, the European Investment Fund, part of the EIB Group, deployed €346 million in guarantees and equity instruments in Romania for innovation and small business financing.
Romania also joined the Ukraine Export Credit Guarantee Facility managed by the EIF, under which Exim Banca Românească received a €43.75 million guarantee to support trade flows between the EU, Romania and Ukraine.
