ABSTRACT

Deciphering the European Investment Bank: History, Politics and Economics examines the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union’s financial institution and the largest lender and borrower among the International Financial Institutions.

Since its establishment in 1958, the EIB has developed without becoming front-page news and has remained highly invisible. By putting together 14 chapters that analyze topical and meaningful moments and aspects of the bank, this edited book offers the first comprehensive analysis of its origins and its evolution in terms of its mandate, governance, structures, policy activity, and performance. Written by acknowledged experts from various disciplines, the chapters weave together history, economics, law, and political science to provide a multidisciplinary examination and capture the complexity of the EIB. The book is a timely initiative for understanding the EIB, whose role has been ever increasing for contributing to the recent global economic challenges, including the economic and financial crisis, climate change, and COVID-19 pandemic.

The chapters are written at a level which will be comprehensible to undergraduates in economics, history, and international political economy. It will also be a valuable source of reference for academics, policy makers, bankers, and other practitioners interested in regional development banks and their role in the global economy.

chapter |14 pages

Introduction

The European Investment Bank

chapter 2|17 pages

Banking the European dream

The French presence and influence at the European Investment Bank (1958–2018)

chapter 3|21 pages

Developing Mediterranean Europe

The EIB and the financing of Italy and Greece from the 1960s to the 1980s

chapter 4|24 pages

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Istituto Mobiliare Italiano (IMI)

A neglected relationship in the EIB's activity in Italy (1968–1978)

chapter 5|21 pages

The unknown institution

The United Kingdom and the EIB (1973–1999)

chapter 6|24 pages

Small words, big changes

Understanding the European Investment Bank through its business model

chapter 7|25 pages

The politicization of the European Investment Bank

Managing hybridity and resource dependence in European economic governance

chapter 10|17 pages

A critical appraisal

Identifying weaknesses in the European Investment Bank's project assessment phase

chapter 13|15 pages

Never waste a crisis

The European Bank for reconstruction and development, the European Investment Bank, and the European Bank coordination initiative

chapter 14|15 pages

The EIB as the investment arm of the Union

Legal challenges from the big financial crisis?

chapter |7 pages

Conclusion