** The European Investment Bank is on course to meet, and possibly exceed, its target of putting 5 per cent of its financing inside the European Union into security and defence projects this year. That would amount to around €4.5 billion, according to the EU's lending arm, whose president, Nadia Calvino, spoke about the figures on the sidelines of the bank's annual Board of Governors meeting in Luxembourg.

The EIB has sharply increased its support for the sector since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Financing for security and defence projects rose to more than €4 billion in 2025, four times the previous year's level and almost 5 per cent of all EIB Group financing in the EU. The bank's overall financing target for 2026 is a record €100 billion, with €4.5 billion earmarked for security and defence.

What the money covers

The bank has gradually eased its financing rules since 2024. It can now fund military equipment, infrastructure, services and technology, although weapons and ammunition remain excluded. Calvino said the focus would be on military mobility, critical infrastructure, border areas in the east and anti-drone systems, reflecting the security concerns sharpened by the war in Ukraine and wider geopolitical tension.

The EIB is the EU's long-term lending institution, and its shift into defence financing is part of a much larger European rearmament push, including the Commission's €800 billion Readiness 2030 agenda. Calvino stressed that the €4.5 billion figure reflects projects already in the pipeline, and that the bank reviews its lending each year, so the total could rise further if demand grows. [Eurotoday](https://eurotoday.org/eu-development-bank-poised-to-enhance-defense-financing-initiatives/) | [Funds for NGOs](https://news.fundsforngos.org/2025/12/12/europes-strategic-and-technological-independence-gets-boost-with-eib-groups-e100-billion-financing-goal/)