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Marrakech – The European Investment Bank (EIB) plans to channel more than €700 million into Morocco this year, its president, Nadia Calviño, announced Monday at the start of a three-day official visit to the country.
Calviño disclosed the figure in an interview with Morocco’s state-owned news agency MAP. It marks her first visit to the country since assuming the EIB presidency. The trip, running from June 29 to July 1, includes meetings with senior government officials and visits to EIB-funded projects.
The planned outlay would follow a record year. In February, the EIB reported that it had signed €740 million in financing for Morocco in 2025 through EIB Global, its arm for operations outside the European Union. That was the institution’s largest annual commitment to the country since 2012.
“Our partnership is seeing a clear acceleration,” Calviño told MAP. “Over the past five years, the EIB Group has tripled its financing in Morocco.”
The bank has operated in the kingdom since 1979. Cumulative investment now exceeds €12 billion across sectors, including energy, transport, education, and water infrastructure. Among the flagship projects it has backed are the Tanger Med port, the Ouarzazate solar complex, the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fes, and the Medusa submarine fiber optic cable.
Calviño is scheduled to hold high-level talks with Minister of Economy and Finance Nadia Fettah. Their exchange will assess the partnership’s track record and identify concrete levers to deepen the EIB’s role as the EU’s financial arm in Morocco. The visit also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the bank’s formal presence in the country.
During the trip, Calviño will announce the signing of two major transport-sector operations guaranteed by the EU. Both aim to strengthen the security and resilience of Morocco’s transport networks and accelerate their adaptation to climate change.
The visit includes a stop at a public school in Rabat, where Calviño will attend a musical performance by young students as part of the “Morocco 88” project. The EIB cited education and youth as a central pillar of its partnership with the kingdom, with a particular focus on rural schooling for girls.
The broader investment trajectory reflects alignment between Moroccan and EU development priorities. Current areas of focus include resilient infrastructure, energy transition, industrial competitiveness, private-sector support, and economic integration with Europe.
A significant portion of recent EIB funding has targeted post-earthquake reconstruction. In early June, the bank formalized the disbursement of a second €500 million tranche for recovery in regions hit by the September 2023 earthquake, bringing total EIB commitments to that effort to €1 billion.
The financing, guaranteed under the EU’s FEDD+ program, covers roads, schools, and healthcare facilities built to enhanced seismic and energy-efficiency standards, with full deployment extending through 2030.
Looking ahead, Calviño noted that the EIB will assume the presidency of multilateral development banks in 2027. She said the institution intends to use that platform to champion “win-win” partnerships, citing its relationship with Morocco as a model built on trust, aligned priorities, and measurable outcomes.
“This visit marks a renewed momentum in the EU-Morocco relationship, in which the European Investment Bank plays a central role,” Calviño affirmed in a press release preceding the visit.
