The European Investment Bank said on Friday it signed an €80 million ($94 million) loan with Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles to finance research, development and innovation in sustainable transport.
The funding, part of the EU-backed TechEU initiative, will enable CAF to invest in digitalization, autonomous mobility and energy-efficient technologies for trains and buses at its facilities in Spain and Poland.
Push for Greener Transport
CAF, which reported turnover of more than €4 billion in 2024 and employs around 17,000 people worldwide, is seeking to expand its portfolio of low-emission transport solutions.
The company develops trains, trams, metro systems and sustainable bus lines for urban and interurban markets.
The EIB stated that the financing will accelerate the transformation of the European mobility sector, which is crucial for driving economic growth and reducing emissions.
The investments will also support high-skilled jobs in research and engineering, strengthening Europe’s industrial competitiveness.
Part of TechEU Initiative
The project aligns with TechEU, the EIB’s flagship program designed to mobilize €250 billion in investment for startups, scale-ups and innovative companies across Europe by 2027.
The initiative targets critical technologies, including artificial intelligence, clean energy and advanced transportation systems.
Under the EIB Group’s 2024-2027 Strategic Roadmap, flagship programs such as TechEU are central to delivering more than half of the EIB’s investment volumes.
The roadmap emphasizes technological innovation, cohesion, climate action and environmental sustainability among its core priorities.
EIB’s wider role
The bank, owned by the 27 EU member states, is stepping up financing in response to challenges including climate change, digitalisation and supply-chain resilience.
In 2024, the EIB signed close to €89 billion in new financing, backing over 900 high-impact projects. Around 60 percent of its annual investment supports climate action and environmental sustainability, while about half goes to cohesion regions with per capita income below the EU average.
In Spain, the EIB Group committed about €12.3 billion in 2024 across more than 100 projects, supporting its green and digital transition.
Strategic Alignment
The EIB Group’s strategic roadmap, adopted in mid-2024, describes its mission as strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, security and climate neutrality. The roadmap sets eight core priority areas, including climate action, cohesion, technological innovation, digitalization, and security. Flagship programs like TechEU are mechanisms to deliver on those priorities.
“The CAF agreement exemplifies how EIB can leverage its financing capacity to spur disruptive technologies in transport, a sector central to Europe’s competitiveness and climate goals,” the bank said.
