(AGENPARL) – ven 10 giugno 2022 PRESS RELEASE
2022-266-EN
10 June 2022, Vilnius/Luxembourg/Brussels
EU programme InvestEU to boost crucial investments in Lithuania
The launch of InvestEU in Lithuania took place in Vilnius on Friday, 10 June, presenting a set of new financial instruments to support investment.
InvestEU offers a variety of financial instruments and advisory services to public and private sector project promoters.
The four key policy areas are sustainable infrastructure; research, innovation and digitalisation; small and medium-sized businesses; and social investment and skills.
The InvestEU programme, launched by the European Commission with the EIB Group as the main implementing partner, seeks to boost crucial investments across Europe in support of the European Union’s policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal.
InvestEU, which builds on the successful model of the Investment Plan for Europe, is designed to address current challenges, and is implemented by the EIB Group (European Investment Bank and European Investment Fund) and other financial partners.
The InvestEU Fund will mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment by 2027 through an EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. Financial partners such as the EIB Group will use the guarantee to provide long-term financing for public and private sector projects. In addition to the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF), who are the main implementing partners, international financial institutions active in Europe and national promotional banks will be able to use a share of the guarantee (25% in total) to support investment and project schemes.
The InvestEU roadshow event on Friday in Vilnius brought together ministries, senior representatives of public authorities, local and regional communities, business stakeholders, private equity and venture capital associations, funds and banks, who were presented with a set of new financial instruments to support investment.
EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros, responsible for the Group’s activity in the Baltics, said: “I strongly believe that this renewed partnership with the European Commission, building on the strengths of the EIB Group in terms of financing and advisory, will contribute to a greener, stronger and more innovative Lithuania and Europe. InvestEU makes EU funding simpler to access and more effective.”
In his opening speech, Vice-Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania Mindaugas Liutvinskas commented: “The launch of InvestEU comes just at the right time, as we face high uncertainty on future economic developments and deal with multiple challenges. The InvestEU programme will give an additional boost to investment, innovation and job creation across the European Union and in Lithuania by offering instruments to mobilise additional financing for strategic areas, such as the green and digital transitions. Given today’s geopolitical situation, the green transition has become even more critical, as it is the only way to ensure independence from Russian fossil fuels and increase our resilience to future shocks. InvestEU can significantly contribute to the achievement of this goal.”
Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevi?ius, said: “InvestEU opens a new chapter in Lithuania to invest into sustainability, innovation, digitalisation, small and medium-sized businesses, and skills. It centralises EU funding under one integrated EU budget guarantee instrument, making it a one-stop shop for long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds to support sustainable businesses. I am looking forward to seeing many InvestEU projects in Lithuania and across the EU.”