The Vice President of European Investment Bank (EIB), Nicola Beer, has said that the bank is looking for a ‘win-win’ partnership with India. Speaking to our correspondent, Sidhant Sibal, in Luxembourg, she said, “India is really a leader in the region...and we really hope that with the upcoming India EU summit, we will foster this common partnership for the sake of the whole region and for the citizens in India.”

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EIB, one of the largest multilateral financial institutions globally, is notably active in financing projects that address climate change, aiming to align its investment with the Paris Agreement. The bank’s vice president pointed out, “Especially in the Global South, our investments are merely 90% for climate action or climate adaptation.”

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The EIB has been a major financier of renewable energy projects in India, including solar, wind, and more recently, green hydrogen. The bank has made significant investments in urban rail mobility projects across major cities in India, including Lucknow, Bengaluru, Pune, Bhopal, Kanpur, and Agra. Here is the transcript of the full interview.

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Sidhant Sibal: My first question to you is about the European Investment Bank and its role in projects in India, if you can talk about it, if you can shed some light on it?

Nicola Beer: First, thank you that you are interested in the European Investment Bank, and the European Investment Bank is engaged in India since 1993. We did invest about 5.5 billion euros so far, with a huge emphasis on decarbonisation. So in energy, renewable energy, on transport, and also on all that is helping people, so water projects, especially when it comes up to the quality of drinking water. The largest engagement of the European Investment Bank in India is about decarbonisation of public transport, especially when it comes to railways, suburbs, and urban ones. Here we invested 3.6 billion euros, and I think this is maybe the best example to show how we really try to have with our partners on the ground here in India an impact for citizens, because, of course, if you have this public transport, then first, you are travelling faster because you do not have the traffic jams. You have safe access for all kinds of citizens, especially but for vulnerable groups like women or handicapped, they can travel safer and they have access, quicker access, also to working places, education places all over a city or a region. So for us, this is very important that this comes together and is then, in this kind, answering the need of fast-growing cities and regions like you have it in India.

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Sidhant Sibal: Moving to the larger Global South. Now, the role of the European Investment Bank in the Global South, if you can shed some light on it, the projects you have been involved in the Global South?
Nicola Beer: Coming to the Global South, it is important for us that we deliver on projects that lead to better life conditions for the citizens and that we do it together with partners on the ground. But we come merely with the European family, which means that we, in the context of the team Europe approach. We come as a European anchor investor, but we often bring them other financial institutions, for example, from the member states, or we are cooperating, for example, with the Asian Development Bank to bring better living conditions, drinking water, and health. So, investing huge amounts, especially in vaccine development, health condition and infrastructure, in better mobility on the ground, and in renewable energy, so that you have really affordable and safe energy around all the places.

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Sidhant Sibal: Climate change, that is another big issue. How is the European Investment Bank helping the world in terms of dealing with it?
Nicola Beer: Thank you very much for the question, because we as the climate bank of European Union are of course, heavily engaged in climate action. We have a goal every year to at least have investments of 50% of what all the business we are doing related to climate action. And we always overcoming it, and especially in the Global South, our investments are 90% for climate action or climate adaptation. And so for us, it’s important that what we do and what we build with our projects is resilient, so, for example, that we reduce the risk of drought for people, so that this is helping in agriculture, but also it’s a prevention, for example, for fire and other climate related crisis all over different places, that we help to have more circularity projects, so that you are having, for example, good quality drinking water, but also then having a management system for the water, which is then also related to wastewater and sewage, so also to recycle the water, for example, for industry purposes, and to prevent diseases, because if you do not have a managed and treatment system, then there will come up diseases with the wastewater, which is then a health issue for a lot of people, especially in growing urban situations. So this is then also related to climate, but in the same time, having a positive impact on the life and better life for citizens.

Sidhant Sibal: Now we know that there is a cutting off of aid and support to many developing countries with the change of guard in Washington. Now do you think that the European Investment Bank has to take a much bigger lead in terms of providing support to the Global South?
Nicola Beer: You’re totally right. A lot of challenges we have are not European or Indian or Global South challenges. These are challenges for the whole globe. So we have to act in partnership. And European Investment Bank is stepping up this investment. We got a top-up from our stakeholders, shareholders. So the 27 member states, we can do more business. We can especially also do more business outside the European Union. So we will not only continue to be invested, but we will also increase our investments. And I think this is heavily important that we look how we can bring the strengths of different regions in a partnership together, how we can be interrelated. Because if you are building up strong relationships and strong friendships, then this is a better world than very complicated, isolating structures around the globe.

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Sidhant Sibal: You talked about partnership. How do you see India as a partner?
Nicola Beer: India is a very important partner, especially for the European Union. You are a very well skilled, very rapidly increasing developing country with citizens who are very creative. The demand, especially for such skilled persons all over the globe, is very high. But I think we should look about partnerships that create win-win situations for India and also for Europe. So we always, with our projects, want to have these advantages on both sides, to invest in a better way of life for citizens all over the globe, here in India, but also for a better future for all generations to come. And so we look not only at India but also the whole region. And I think India is really a leader in the region, but a leader should be a leader on fair conditions, especially when it comes to interconnectivity of energy projects, mobility projects, transport questions, and international trade. And we really hope with the upcoming India EU summit that we will foster this common partnership for the sake of the whole region and for the sake of the citizens in India.