HIghlights
- The European Investment Bank will support the preparation of investments to modernise schools and university buildings across Greece
- The EIB Advisory under InvestEU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission support will help Greece develop a pipeline of sustainable education infrastructure investments
- A pilot programme will support the development of 20 greener, more energy-efficient and climate-resilient public schools
The European Investment Bank (EIB) with the support of the InvestEU Advisory Hub will provide advisory support to Greece to help modernise public education infrastructure and improve the energy performance of school buildings, within the context of the European Commission Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. The cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports will support the preparation of investments that can make education facilities more energy efficient, safer, more comfortable and better equipped to respond to the challenges posed by climate change.
A key part of the initiative will be the development of a "Green Schools" investment programme, starting with a pilot involving 20 existing public schools across Greece. The pilot will bring together schools with different characteristics and from different climate zones, helping identify effective approaches to reducing energy consumption, improving thermal comfort and strengthening the resilience of school buildings.
The programme will address a range of investment needs, including the modernisation of heating and cooling systems, improvements to building energy performance, fire safety and accessibility. The experience gained through the pilot will provide an important basis for the potential expansion of the programme to schools across the country.
The advisory work will also explore financing options for the investments being prepared, including the potential combination of grant resources with long-term financing and the possible assessment of EIB financing for eligible projects.
"Investing in education infrastructure is, above all, an investment in people and in Greece's future. Every student should have the opportunity to learn in an environment that is safe, healthy and fit for the challenges of tomorrow. By bringing together the green transition and the modernisation of public infrastructure, we can turn our schools into places that not only support learning, but also reflect the sustainable future we want to build. The European Investment Bank is proud to work alongside Greece in making this vision a reality and in ensuring that today's investments create lasting value for the generations to come," said EIB Vice-President Ioannis Tsakiris.
"Investing in educational infrastructure is an investment in our students, our teachers and the future of our country. Building on the "Marietta Giannakou" Programme, which launched a broad framework of renovations and substantial interventions in school facilities, we are now moving forward with the planning of the next generation of educational infrastructure. In this context, we have already entered into a technical assistance agreement with the European Investment Bank and a proposal has already been submitted for the inclusion of an initial pilot phase, involving 20 public schools, with a total eligible budget of approximately 40 million euros. If approved, this proposal will provide the foundation for the gradual development of a broader national strategy for "Green Schools". Our planning, however, does not stop at this point. From today onwards, we are setting a clear and long-term objective: to create schools with lower energy consumption, improved heating, cooling and ventilation conditions and a smaller environmental footprint. The green transition is not an abstract notion. It is a choice that must be reflected in the everyday lives of our children and in the spaces where they grow, learn and create." said Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Sofia Zacharaki
EIB's role in supporting a climate-neutral Europe
As the EU's climate bank, the EIB plays a critical role in financing and advising projects under the Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. It has dedicated a EUR 2bn lending envelope to mission label cities. In addition, dedicated advisory support is available to the cities to support the implementation of projects in their investment plans.
Background information
The EIB Group
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed 100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe's markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.
The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees, securitisation and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.
With the support of all 27 EU governments, the EIF has joined forces with institutional investors in a pan-European alliance to mobilise up to 80 billion for investment into innovative companies scaling up to become global leaders. The joint effort will expand the size and scope of the highly successful European Tech Champions Initiative, which has helped create 15 European mega-funds and scale 45 companies, including 12 unicorns, since being established three years ago.
EIB Advisory
In addition to financing, the EIB Group offers advisory services that help public and private clients develop markets, build capacity and support high impact investment projects. In 2025, EIB Advisory helped accelerate project delivery and crowd in finance for 179 projects worth more than 80 billion in the European Union and beyond.
InvestEU
The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps crowd in private investment for the European Union's strategic priorities such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings all EU financial instruments previously available for supporting investments within the European Union together under one roof, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is deployed through implementing partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of 26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least 372 billion in additional investment.
