EIB NEWS

Organised by the EIB Institute, the SIT recognises and supports the best European social entrepreneurs whose primary purpose is to generate a social, ethical or environmental impact.

The EIB has agreed to lend EUR 7.5 million to Packhelp, a Polish tech start-up specialized in customized packaging. Through its dedicated online marketplace, Packhelp bridges the needs of SMEs looking for a proper package for their products and printing houses that work mainly for larger companies and have less access to smaller businesses. Packhelp also favours producers of ecological cardboards that can replace plastics.

Construction works on Bakheng Water Production Facilities, Cambodia’s largest water treatment plant, began this week to allow an increase in water production capacity in Phnom Penh, Cambodia`s capital and the largest city, by 65%, from current 600 000 m<sup>3</sup>/day to around 1 000 000 m<sup>3</sup>/day expected in 2024. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the water plant, which marked the beginning of works on the project financed by the European Investment Banks (EIB), the European Union, and France`s Agence Francaise De Development (AFD).

How do we find a new development path that tackles inequality and empowers people so that people and the planet can prosper together? This is the question that UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner and EIB President Hoyer addressed today during a dialogue around the key findings of UNDP Human Development Report 2020.

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the EIB Group have renewed and reinforced their long-standing cooperation today with the adoption of a new joint Action Plan for cooperation in 2021.

Developing diagnostic and serological tests as well as vaccine strategies for preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection have been the areas that have benefited from an EIB Group donation to Institut Pasteur, in France.

The EIB is launching a public consultation on the review of the EIB Group Transparency Policy (EIB-TP). The EIB invites all members of the public to participate in the review by visiting the dedicated public consultation website and sending their contributions by 12 March 2021.

Disasters caused by natural hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, droughts and storms, as well as technological hazards, including industrial and chemical accidents, put human lives, ecosystems and economies at serious risk, with potentially long-term consequences. The security and stability of our societies can be wiped away in minutes as a consequence of such disasters, and the extreme weather events occurring as a result of climate change are exacerbating the risks. All countries – including the most developed – are vulnerable, especially when integrated land management, industrial safety, environmental and public participation measures are not in place. The recent warehouse explosion in Beirut (2020), the dam break in Brazil (2019) and the explosions at a chemical plant in Texas during Hurricane Harvey (2017) are devastating reminders of the consequences of major disasters and a lack of coordinated and preventative action.

Just like the Oscars, but for underreported stories, this week the EIB entered the heady world of global film-making awards to celebrate the power of female entrepreneurship to change lives and revitalise communities in the global south.

The 9^th of December marks the International Anti-Corruption Day and the adoption of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. The focus of the International Anti-Corruption Day this year is “Recover with Integrity” to raise awareness about the effects of corruption in times of crisis but also to emphasise that recovery from this crisis can only be achieved with integrity and accountability.