• EIB Vice-President Marko Primorac visited Budapest on 13–14 July for meetings with Hungarian partners, including Minister for Children and Education Judit Lannert and MFB Hungarian Development Bank
• VP Primorac also participated in the Budapest Energy and Security Talks, joining discussions on energy security, climate urgency and Europe’s strategic autonomy.
• The visit followed an EIF mission to Hungary engaging with Government of Hungary, MFB, the HVCA and ImpactCEE associations underlining a coordinated EIB Group effort to support ongoing reforms in Hungary.

EIB Vice-President Marko Primorac visited Budapest on 14 July to engage with key public-sector partners in Hungary and identify where the EIB Group can best support Hungary’s economic and social development priorities, ongoing reforms and investment needs.

Vice-President Primorac, who is in charge of EIB Group operations in the country, met Hungary’s Minister for Children and Education Judit Lannert and János Gerendás, Chief Executive Officer of the Hungarian Development Bank (MFB). Discussions focused on investments in education and skills, innovation, broadening access to finance for businesses, energy and grid investments, transport, housing, social infrastructure and the preparation of bankable projects that can attract financing and further accelerate economic reforms. The meetings deepened the EIB Group’s dialogue with the Hungarian government, launched during VP Primorac’s first visit to Hungary in June.

“We continue to work with our Hungarian partners to identify where our cooperation can have the greatest impact: strengthening the economy, helping businesses grow and improving people’s quality of life,” said Vice-President Marko Primorac. “My meetings with Minister Lannert, and Mr Gerendás, confirmed the strong potential to support Hungary’s economic reform priorities, including better access to finance for SMEs, start-ups and innovative companies, a key driver of sustainable growth not just for Hungary but the whole of the European Union.”

The EIB Group has a long-standing role as a long-term development partner for Hungary. Since 1991, the EIB Group has supported the Hungarian economy with more than €25 billion in investment.

The EIF supports SMEs through financial intermediaries and uses equity, guarantees and national partnerships to strengthen entrepreneurship, innovation, competitiveness and regional growth across the European Union.

MFB is one of the EIB Group’s key partners in Hungary, with cooperation spanning credit lines, green investment, advisory support and access to finance for businesses. Recent examples include a €100 million EIB loan signed in 2023 to support energy-efficiency and renewable-energy investments by Hungarian SMEs and mid-caps through MFB, as well as earlier EIB credit lines of up to €200 million each to finance SME, mid-cap and public-sector projects across the country. The partnership has also included EU-backed advisory support to strengthen MFB’s capacity to prepare, finance and monitor sustainable investment projects.

EIB Group and MFB are exploring cooperation models to accelerate the deployment of EU resources in Hungary, including EIB advisory support aimed at strengthening project appraisal, structuring and implementation capacity at the Hungarian national development bank.

Budapest Energy and Security Talks

Following the meetings with Minister Lenert and MFB, Vice-President Primorac highlighted the EIB Group’s capacity to support investments in energy sector across the European Union at the Budapest Energy and Security Talks, a forum that brings together policymakers, foreign-policy experts and business leaders to discuss energy security and strategic challenges in Central and Eastern Europe.

He joined a panel on how Europe can increase energy security while responding to climate pressures.

“Energy investment now sits at the heart of Europe’s security, competitiveness and strategic autonomy,” said Vice-President Primorac. “For the EIB Group, the priority is clear: help Europe build an energy system that is more affordable for households and businesses, more reliable in the face of shocks, and more sustainable for the long term. That matters because lower and more predictable energy costs, fewer disruptions and cleaner power make daily life easier for people and give European companies the confidence to invest, innovate and grow. The EIB Group can help deliver this faster by financing grids, storage, clean technologies and resilient infrastructure, while bringing market knowledge and project expertise to support practical delivery.”