EIB Advisory Partnership to Help Ireland Expand Public EV Charging Across Cities, Towns and Rural Communities

EIB Advisory Partnership to Help Ireland Expand Public EV Charging Across Cities, Towns and Rural Communities

(IN BRIEF) The European Investment Bank is partnering with Ireland’s Department of Transport, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland to support the rollout of a nationwide public EV charging network. The advisory agreement, signed in Dublin by Minister Darragh O’Brien and EIB Vice-President Ioannis Tsakiris, will provide Irish local authorities and ZEVI with practical implementation tools such as procurement strategies, concession contract templates, financial models and delivery guidance. The cooperation is managed by the EIB and funded by the European Commission through the Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. It directly supports Ireland’s Regional and Local EV Charging Network Plan to 2030, which aims to deliver on-street neighbourhood charging, local hubs and destination charging in cities, towns and rural areas. With more than 205,000 electric vehicles on Irish roads by the end of 2025 and almost 235,000 already in use, Ireland is working toward a target of one million EVs by 2030. The initiative is intended to ensure public charging infrastructure keeps ahead of demand, especially for drivers without home or off-street parking, while drawing on the EIB’s experience financing and advising EV charging projects across more than 14 European countries.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 4-Jun-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Investment Bank is partnering with Ireland’s Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to support the rapid expansion of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country.

The advisory cooperation will see the EIB work with Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland to help design and deliver a nationwide public EV charging network that supports Ireland’s goal of reaching one million electric vehicles by 2030. The partnership is intended to ensure that charging infrastructure is available across cities, towns and rural communities, making EV ownership more practical for drivers regardless of where they live or work.

The agreement was signed in Dublin by Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien and EIB Vice-President Ioannis Tsakiris ahead of the EIB-Ireland Financing Group meeting between Irish Ministers and the EIB.

The cooperation will be managed by the EIB and funded by the European Commission through the Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. It will provide ZEVI and local authorities with a set of practical delivery tools, including procurement strategies, concession contract templates, financial models and structured guidance. These resources are designed to help accelerate the rollout of charging infrastructure in a way that is cost-effective, consistent and accessible across the country.

Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Transport and Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, said Ireland’s electric vehicle transition is already under way, with almost 235,000 EVs on the country’s roads. He said that continued progress will depend on giving drivers confidence that charging infrastructure will be available wherever they need it, from Dublin to rural communities in Connacht. He added that the EIB partnership will bring European expertise to Ireland’s public charging rollout and help create a network that is fast, fair and ready for future demand.

Ioannis Tsakiris, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, said Ireland has set ambitious targets and is already seeing strong momentum in EV adoption. He said the EIB will help ensure that infrastructure keeps pace with demand and draws on experience from EV charging projects in more than 14 countries. He added that the cooperation is not only about installing chargers, but also about giving local authorities the tools, contracts and confidence needed to deliver at scale.

The partnership directly supports Ireland’s Regional and Local EV Charging Network Plan to 2030. The plan sets out a framework for neighbourhood on-street charging, local charging hubs and destination charging at locations such as car parks, workplaces and public facilities in urban and rural areas.

The EIB advisory engagement is supported by the EU Cities Mission, which aims to help deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. Dublin and Cork are among the cities included in the mission.

Ireland’s EV market has already grown substantially, with more than 205,000 electric vehicles on the road by the end of 2025. The new advisory partnership is designed to help public charging infrastructure stay ahead of demand, especially for people who do not have access to off-street or home charging.

Local authorities will play a central role in regional and local delivery, working within a coordinated national framework developed with ZEVI. The tools and templates provided through the EIB cooperation will help councils move more quickly and consistently, making EV charging part of everyday locations such as supermarkets, workplaces, sports facilities and public car parks.

The EIB brings extensive experience in EV charging infrastructure across Europe. Its previous financing and advisory work includes support for 8,472 charging stations in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Romania, more than 250 fast-charging hubs across eight Central and Eastern European countries, an 8,500-point charging network in Spain and Portugal, and EV charging concessions and advisory projects in countries including Italy, France, Greece, Belgium and across Central and Eastern Europe.

The EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, funded under Horizon Europe, supports Europe’s clean and digital transition and aligns with the European Green Deal, the Policy Agenda for Cities and the Clean Industrial Deal. The mission brings together public authorities, citizens, businesses, investors and national and regional institutions to help cities become climate-neutral and act as innovation hubs for wider European progress by 2050.

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.

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SOURCE: European Investment Bank