La Banque européenne d’investissement et l’environnement

This fact sheet, published by Friends of the Earth International in September 2004, evaluates the environmental policies and practices of the European Investment Bank (EIB). It contrasts the EIB's official declarations and commitments to sustainable development and EU environmental standards with the criticisms from NGOs, who argue that a significant gap remains between the bank's rhetoric and its actual investment practices.

• The EIB's 2002 Environmental Statement was criticized by NGOs for lacking clear criteria and safeguard policies regarding the environment, society, and development, which cast doubt on the bank's claims of supporting 'sustainable development' as envisioned by EU policy.
• Despite claiming adherence to EU climate change policies, the EIB continues to fund large fossil fuel extraction projects and has provided controversial loans for greenhouse gas storage via 'sustainable forest development' and the Kyoto Protocol's 'flexibility mechanisms'.
• The EIB has been a major financier of the aviation industry, lending over 2 billion EUR annually, which NGOs argue contradicts its climate and sustainable development policies. A specific example cited is the funding of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London, which is expected to affect over 400,000 people.
• The EIB's Environmental Statement approved on May 6, 2004, asserts that its environmental safeguards are at least equivalent to international best practices, such as the 2003 Equator Principles, and that it applies high EU environmental standards.
• The EIB's 2004 Activity Plan sets specific environmental funding targets: 30% to 35% of total loans in the EU for environmental projects, 50% of total electricity production capacity projects in the EU for renewables by 2008-2010 (including large hydroelectric dams), and 500 million euros for projects reducing CO2 emissions between 2004 and 2006.
• To improve environmental performance, the EIB created three bodies in 2002: the ENVSC (inter-departmental steering committee), the ENVAG (permanent expert group), and the ENVA (Environment Unit). However, NGOs claim these are staffed by existing personnel without adding new capacity or expertise.
• NGOs have proposed several reforms for the EIB, including the disclosure of all environmental information regardless of whether the borrower is public or private, the organization of deep public consultations, and the employment of more environmental specialists to work alongside economists and engineers.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2004). La Banque européenne d’investissement et l’environnement. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EIBfactsheet4.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. La Banque européenne d’investissement et l’environnement. 2004. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EIBfactsheet4.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=La Banque européenne d’investissement et l’environnement |date=September 2004 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EIBfactsheet4.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2004banque, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{La Banque européenne d’investissement et l’environnement}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2004}, month = sep, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EIBfactsheet4.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }