EIB: Board agrees 2011 lending target for EIB, climate action remains key priority

At its annual meeting today the Board of Governors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) agreed the Bank’s 2011 lending targets which foresee a gradual return to pre-crisis levels. After the extraordinary lending volume of EUR 79bn in 2009 and EUR 72bn in 2010, the EIB is planning for a total of EUR 63bn this year. The EIB will pursue three strategic objectives in support of the EU policy agenda: “Europe 2020” strategy: with the key challenge to boost employment and productivity, notably by investing more and better in education, research and innovation. Climate action: the fight against climate change will continue to be a top priority for the Bank. In 2010, nearly 30 percent of the lending volume was related to projects significantly contributing to the reduction of green house gas emissions. In the first quarter of this year, the EIB also hit this benchmark. EU´s external policy: subject t…