First €150 Million Tranche of €350 Million EIB–HBOR Facility Targets Renewable and Sustainable Projects in Croatia

First €150 Million Tranche of €350 Million EIB–HBOR Facility Targets Renewable and Sustainable Projects in Croatia

(IN BRIEF) The EIB has granted HBOR a €150 million loan—the first tranche of a €350 million agreement—to finance mid-caps and public-sector projects in Croatia. At least 30 percent of these funds will support green initiatives such as energy savings, renewables, sustainable construction, and clean transport. Disbursed through HBOR and local banks under a multi-beneficiary intermediated loan, the facility advances EU climate, sustainability, social cohesion, and economic-growth objectives. EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska and HBOR President Hrvoje Čuvalo highlighted the deal’s role in strengthening Croatia’s green and inclusive development.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 9-Jul-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Investment Bank (EIB) has extended a €150 million loan to the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) to broaden financing for Croatian businesses and public-sector entities. This credit line—targeting mid-cap corporates and public bodies—will be disbursed both directly by HBOR and via local commercial banks and financial intermediaries. It represents the first tranche of a larger €350 million facility designed to enhance access to capital for Croatian enterprises.

A minimum of 30 percent of the proceeds is dedicated to green projects, including energy-efficiency upgrades, renewable-power installations, sustainable building materials, and clean-transport initiatives. The operation is structured as a multi-beneficiary intermediated loan (MBIL), aligning with EU objectives on climate action, environmental sustainability, social cohesion, and economic development.

“This financing will empower a diverse array of Croatian companies and public entities, prioritizing climate action and sustainable growth,” stated EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska. “It underlines our joint commitment to advancing green and inclusive development across all regions of Croatia.”

HBOR has a proven track record of enforcing EU and national environmental, climate, and social safeguards in its EIB-supported programs. “We welcome this latest installment in our enduring partnership with the EIB,” said Hrvoje Čuvalo, President of HBOR’s Management Board. “This funding further cements HBOR’s role in backing green and climate-resilient investments, contributing to both Croatia’s and the EU’s green-transition goals.”

The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, the EIB finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure and the capital markets union.  

The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.

All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment. Fostering market integration and mobilising investment, the Group supported a record of over €100 billion in new investment for Europe’s energy security in 2024 and mobilised €110 billion in growth capital for startups, scale-ups and European pioneers. Approximately half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower than the EU average.

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SOURCE: European Investment Bank