The European Investment Bank Group has marked 50 years of activity in Portugal by announcing new financing expected to be completed by the end of 2026, including support for extreme weather recovery, housing, Lisbon’s metro and electricity networks.
The EIB Group — made up of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) — said in a release on Tuesday that it has invested more than €70 billion in Portugal across more than 1,000 projects since its first loans in the country on 7 April 1976.
Projects backed over the decades have included transport infrastructure such as bridges, railways, ports and metro systems, as well as schools, housing, clean energy and support for innovative companies.
The anniversary was marked at an event at Portugal’s Ministry of Finance in Lisbon attended by Portuguese President António José Seguro, Deputy Finance Minister and Secretary of State for the Budget José Maria Brandão de Brito, EIB Group President Nadia Calviño, former European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas and former European Commissioner Elisa Ferreira.
Portugal has also been a shareholder of the EIB, which is the European Union’s investment bank.
New financing outlined for 2026
A €750 million package was announced to support recovery and reconstruction in areas affected by extreme weather events, including €250 million in government financing for damaged municipal infrastructure and equipment and a €500 million loan to Banco Português de Fomento to support reconstruction efforts by small and medium-sized firms and mid-sized companies, the EIB Group said.
Other initiatives expected to be completed by the end of 2026 include €300 million in EIB financing for IFRRU 2030 — a programme to promote affordable and sustainable housing — and €400 million for Metropolitano de Lisboa to modernise and expand the Lisbon metro network.
The organisation also announced the signing of a third €300 million tranche for EDP’s electricity distribution networks in Portugal and Spain, with €213 million allocated to Portugal.
Further measures include Portugal’s planned participation in the European Tech Champions Initiative 2.0 with a capital contribution of up to €50 million, and a €150 million guarantee with Caixa Geral de Depósitos that is expected to mobilise €420 million to improve access to finance and liquidity for SME and mid-cap suppliers.
The EIB Group also said it would support the co-financing of investments by public entities, including municipalities, with €250 million under EU-funded programmes for 2021 — 2027.
The EIB Group mobilised €12 billion in investment in Portugal in 2025, equivalent to about 4% of the country’s GDP.
