The European Investment Bank (EIB) will advise the Romanian Investment and Development Bank (IDB) on strengthening water networks across the country. Under a new advisory services agreement, the EIB will provide advisory support and institutional capacity building activities to the Investment and Development Bank for the development of climate resilient water and wastewater infrastructure in Romania.
Romania plans to modernize its outdated water infrastructure to cope with increasing climate risks - including more frequent droughts and floods - while ensuring compliance with EU environmental legislation.
The consultancy agreement was signed today at the EIB's Annual Forum in Luxembourg and is based on a request from the IDB to strengthen its capacity to appraise, structure and monitor water projects that enhance long-term climate resilience.
The EIB is one of the largest international financial institution investors globally in the water sector and has been a strong supporter of Romania's initiatives in this field. The new agreement with EIB Advisory will strengthen the IDB's role as a national financial intermediary, helping to transform Romania's climate change adaptation and water management strategies into bankable investments, fully aligned with EU legislation and EIB standards.
„As the EU's climate bank, the EIB is dedicated to supporting strong national institutions capable of transforming public policy ambitions into impactful, high-quality investments. Through this advisory partnership, we are strengthening the Investment and Development Bank's financial and technical capacity to effectively appraise, structure and supervise climate-resilient water projects, ensuring full alignment with EU standards and generating sustainable benefits for citizens and communities”, said EIB Vice-President, Ioannis Tsakiris.
The EIB Advisory role will help to unlock financing, especially for small municipalities and regional water operators in Romania, by promoting innovative infrastructure, including systems that integrate nature-based solutions with traditional engineering - so-called green-gri infrastructure. Advisory support can accelerate bringing investments to market.
„Through our long-standing partnership with the European Investment Bank, we are strengthening the role of the IDB as a national financial intermediary able to support complex investments in water and wastewater infrastructure across Romania. By improving our capacity for project appraisal, preparation and monitoring, we aim to facilitate access to high-quality financing, especially for regional water operators and smaller municipalities. This advisory support from the EIB will help us to standardize processes, improve the consistency and bankability of project portfolios and fully integrate climate resilience criteria and the Do No Significant Harm principle throughout the entire investment cycle - from identification to implementation and performance monitoring,« says Raluca Nicolescu, Director General, IDB Romania.
Under the agreement, EIB Advisory will work with the IDB to strengthen project appraisal and preparation processes, improve the integration of climate resilience criteria and ensure compliance with EU legislation and the European environmental principle of „Do No Significant Harm”.
The objective is to expand expertise in the financial and technical appraisal of water and wastewater investments, strengthen environmental and social standards and monitoring frameworks, and improve governance and oversight mechanisms throughout the entire investment cycle - from project identification to implementation and performance monitoring.
Advisory support will also improve coordination between the IDB and regional water operators by providing standardized tools, guidelines and training programs. This will increase the quality and coherence of project portfolios proposed for financing and accelerate investments that strengthen climate resilience and sustainable water resources management at the national level.
The agreement complements the EIB's global involvement in the water sector, including a commitment to invest EUR 15 billion globally between 2025-2027 to strengthen water security, sustainability and climate resilience.