Chronology of the EIB: 1988-1997
10 April 1997
Financing of the construction of Öresund bridge, connecting Copenhagen (Denmark) and Malmö (Sweden), a vital transport link in the Trans European Transport Network (TEN-T). Every day 75 000 people use the bridge, 45% of them taking the 35-minute train ride.
12 February 1997
First borrowing operation in euros. This first transaction took place over a year before the new European currency was launched on 1 January 1999. The lead managers of the issuing syndicate were the Caisse des dépôts et consignations, Paribas and Warburg.
30 November 1994
Authorisation for operations in Gaza and the West Bank of Jordan. A 250-bedroom international-class hotel was co-financed by the EIB in Bethlehem in 1998, the first facility in this category in Palestine.
14 June 1994
Establishment of the European Investment Fund. The logo adopted by the EIF in 1994 depicts a bridge symbolising the link between public and private financing.
1 April 1993
Start of the presidency of Sir Brian Unwin.
22 February 1993
Extension of the bank's activities to Latin American and Asian countries.
25 January 1991
Authorisation for operations in South Africa. 10 years later, the EIB office for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean was inaugurated in Pretoria. The palm tree in the middle of the photo was planted on this occasion, symbolising the fact that ’financial means alone are not sufficient’ if you are aiming for ’true sustainable economic growth.
29 May 1990
Participation as a founding member of the EBRD. Partnering with others is an important feature of the Bank’s operations. After the fall of the Berlin wall, the EIB quickly began providing financing to the Eastern European countries.
17 April 1989
Financing of a major urban regeneration project in Cardiff’s docks, in the United Kingdom. The EIB contributed to the development with investments for a congress centre, a hotel and an office building. Now Cardiff Bay is a major tourist attraction and a vibrant focus for city life that has also significantly boosted the economy of the rest of the city.