The European Investment Bank (EIB) and EROSKI have signed a EUR 40 million framework loan that will support the Company in implementing a major investment programme for energy efficiency and digital innovation in its network of establishments throughout Spain.

The operation will finance projects to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions at its sites, platforms and sites, as well as to deploy advanced digital technologies that will strengthen the competitiveness of the European retail sector and contribute to job creation during renovation works.

Investments in energy efficiency will be directed towards the modernization of industrial refrigeration and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in approximately 1,500 stores. These actions include the transition to more sustainable refrigerants and improvements in energy performance that will reduce CO2 emissions.

Investments in innovation will leverage the capabilities offered by digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to improve customer experience, operational efficiency, and strengthen cyber resilience.

“The loan signed with EROSKI is a new example of how the EIB supports the energy transition and digital transformation of a relevant sector of the economy,” said Pilar Solano, director of the EIB’s Corporate Finance Department for the EU. “By accompanying EROSKI’s digitisation and energy efficiency investments in Spain, the EIB is helping to reduce reliance on fossil fuels while boosting the competitiveness and sustainable growth of the European retail sector.”

“The support of the European Investment Bank (EIB) for this investment programme is part of EROSKI’s financing process in November 2025. Its formalization does not alter the terms of this financing process already announced. The EIB’s involvement has worked in parallel over the last few months and is consistent with the accumulated confidence in the evolution of the EROSKI Group and its cooperative model. This support adds to that of local, state and financial institutions, both national and international, and reinforces the institutional credibility of the project, as well as its alignment with European standards in terms of sustainability, innovation and long-term vision“Says Josu Mugarra Urrutia, CFO of the EROSKI Group. “Beyond its fit in the financial framework, this operation contributes directly to our strategic priorities, especially in terms of efficiency and technological innovation. The investments we promote allow us to advance in the operational optimization of our network, reduce energy consumption and, at the same time, continue improving our value proposition to the client, adapting in a more agile and precise way to their needs” Concludes Mugarra.

The project contributes significantly to the strategic priorities of the EIB Climate Action and Digitisation and Technological Innovation Group set out in the EIB The Group’s Strategic Roadmap for the period 2024 2027 and in the Climate Bank Roadmap, Phase 2 (2026 2030). The loan is part of the TechEU initiative, the EIB Group’s programme to accelerate innovation in the EU by mobilising, by 2027, 250 billion euros in investments for start-ups, growing companies and innovative companies across Europe. It is also part of the EIB’s action plan to support REPowerEU, the programme to strengthen energy security and reduce the EU’s dependence on fossil fuel imports.

The operation is supported by InvestEU, the European Union’s programme to mobilise more than €372 billion in additional investments between 2021 and 2027.

About EROSKI

EROSKI is one of the leading distribution groups in the north of the Spanish market — from Galicia to the Balearic Islands — with a market share of 12.7% in that area; being a leader in the Basque Country, Navarre, and Galicia and co-leader in the Balearic Islands. Its commercial network, at the end of 2024, rises to 1,502 establishments, including supermarkets, hypermarkets, cash & carry and online supermarkets; in addition to gas stations, sports stores and other non-food businesses. It also has more than 6.4 million Client Partners and more than 27,600 people are part of its workforce, of which about 9,000 are proprietary partners.

The Group   EIB

The European Investment Bank Group (EIB) is the financial arm of the European Union, whose shareholders are the 27 Member States, and is one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion of new financing and advisory services for more than 870high impact projectsIn theeight key priorities who contribute to them strategic objectives eU action: climate and environment action, digitisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the Savings and Investment Union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group attracts private investment for high-risk innovative projects and enterprises and plays an increasing role in Europe’s venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisation markets.

In Spain, the EIB Group has carried out financing and investment operations worth approximately EUR 11 billion, in addition to an additional EUR 2.9 billion from the Regional Resilience Fund (Next Generation EU loans) in 2025.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the EIB Group’s subsidiary specialising in providing guarantees and capital to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups across Europe. As an anchor investor, the EIF mobilises private investment and boosts the venture capital fund ecosystem to support innovative European entrepreneurs through its extensive network of banks and associated investment funds.

In 2023, the EIF launched, together with six Member States (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands), the European Tech Champions initiative, a fund of funds aimed at boosting innovative start-ups in the expansion phase. This initiative has already made possible the creation of 14 mega European venture capital funds and the expansion of 40 companies, including 11 unicorns (entities valued at more than 1 billion euros).

Pictures of the representatives of the EIB Group and its headquarters, as well as files with the logo and B-roll video sequences for the media can be found here.

InvestEU

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with long-term funding by mobilising considerable private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps attract private investment to boost the European Union’s strategic priorities, such as the European Green Pact and the digital transition. InvestEU brings together under one umbrella all the financial instruments that the EU previously had available to support investment in its Member States, making the financing of investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Centre and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners investing in projects using the EU budget guarantee of € 26.2 billion. The full budget guarantee supports the implementing partners’ investment projects, increases their risk-taking capacity and aims to mobilise at least €372 billion of additional investment.