The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Institut Català de Finances (ICF), the public development bank of the Government of Catalonia, have signed a €50 million loan to strengthen social infrastructure in Catalonia.

The agreement will support the construction, acquisition, and refurbishment of care homes, day centers, and assisted living facilities for older people, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups across Catalonia. The project will create around 7,500 care places and help ease the burden of unpaid care work, which falls mainly on women. The financing represents the second and final tranche of a total €150 million loan. The first tranche, amounting to €100 million, was signed in May 2025.

The two institutions approved the agreement at a meeting attended by the President of the EIB Group, Nadia Calviño; the Government of Catalonia’s Minister for Economy and Finance, Alícia Romero, and Minister for Social Rights and Inclusion, Mònica Martínez Bravo; the Chief Executive Officer of ICF, Vanessa Servera; the EIB Director of Equity, Growth Capital and Project Finance, Alessandro Izzo; and representatives of social sector organisations.

The Minister for Economy and Finance, Alícia Romero, highlighted the value of the loan signed today, noting that “it may seem small, but it represents another step forward so that older people and people with disabilities can find a comfortable space and a future in which to live with the dignity we all aspire to.” She also thanked the European Investment Bank for its 30 years of collaboration with the Government of Catalonia, financing “strategic initiatives” for the country. “Thank you very much for helping us turn priorities into investments,” she stressed.

For her part, the Minister for Social Rights and Inclusion, Mònica Martínez Bravo, added that “with this new step, we continue moving towards a stronger social sector, with more residential facilities for older people and people with disabilities, as well as more day care centers. To achieve this, we must activate all available resources, and the agreement signed today helps us to promote the high-quality public services that citizens need.”

“The European Investment Bank Group invested €2.2 billion in Catalonia last year, with a strong focus on social infrastructure, affordable housing and the improvement of educational facilities. One out of every four euros invested in Catalonia was allocated to social infrastructure, including housing,” said Nadia Calviño, President of the EIB Group.

“The agreement between the EIB and ICF reflects our shared commitment to people’s social well-being. This new tranche of financing will help deliver essential infrastructure such as care homes, day centers, and assisted living facilities, improving the quality of life of older people, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups,” said Alessandro Izzo, Director of Equity, Growth Capital and Project Finance at the EIB.

“At ICF, we will ensure that EIB funding translates directly into the expansion and modernization of Catalonia’s social infrastructure. The agreement signed today will help us deliver more and better care places across the region, ensuring high‑quality care services,” said Chief Executive Officer of ICF Vanessa Servera.

The agreement with the EIB will enable ICF, through its ICF Equipaments Socials loans, to finance non‑profit social organizations, foundations, local authorities, and public and private companies, driving investment in social infrastructure projects across Catalonia. All projects financed must comply with EU sustainable building standards, in particular the requirements for nearly zero energy buildings.

The operation contributes to the EIB Group’s strategic priority of strengthening social infrastructure in Europe. This is one of the eight priorities set out in its Strategic Roadmap for 2024‑2027.

The EIB loan is guaranteed by InvestEU, the flagship EU program to mobilize over €372 billion of additional public and private sector investment to support EU policy goals from 2021 to 2027.