Addressing a news conference at which the EIB presented its results in Croatia in 2021, Pascenco said that there was great potential for the construction of renewable energy storage facilities.
The EIB is ready to offer financial, technical and advisory support to the private sector in such projects, she said.
The EIB representative spoke about the importance of developing rail and maritime connectivity and about transport connections between islands and the mainland.
Concerning the rail sector, she pushed for improving train services between Zagreb and Rijeka, having in mind the great potential of the seaport of Rijeka.
The EU’s lending arm will place emphasis on direct financing of local communities, that is cities, in a set of essential projects such as affordable housing, improvement of energy efficiency and the post-quake reconstruction, she added.
The bank’s assistance to Ukraine
The EIB Board of Directors has recently approved a EUR 668 million loan as immediate financial support for Ukraine.
“This initial support package for the war-torn country benefits from the EU guarantee under the External Lending Mandate and complements other initiatives announced by EU institutions,” the EIB says on its website.
In addition, the Board agreed that the EIB should pursue further initiatives under the emergency Solidarity Package for Ukraine, worth four billion euros. It includes help to countries in Ukraine’s neighbourhood and within the EU that are welcoming refugees from Ukraine or are affected by the war in other ways.
