EIB President Calviño: Europe Is a Superpower — But It Needs Scale, Speed and Investment!

European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño joins the Annual EU Budget Conference 2026 in Brussels for a fireside chat on how the EU budget can boost Europe’s strategic priorities. Calviño delivers a strong message: the European Union is already a global leader, with world-class startups, universities, research centres and industrial champions — but Europe must move faster and scale up its capital markets to turn innovation into global power. She says the EIB can multiply every euro of EU public guarantees into up to €15 of public and private investment, helping finance higher-risk projects, competitiveness, security, defence, Ukraine, innovation and global partnerships. Calviño also warns that Europe’s startup ecosystem is strong, but companies too often cross the Atlantic when they need hundreds of millions in funding. Her answer is clear: Europe needs deeper capital markets, larger venture capital funds and stronger EU-backed financial instruments. On the next EU long-term budget, she argues that ambition must be matched by new own resources, predictability and flexibility — because Europe cannot scale back if it wants a strong voice in a world where the global order is being reshaped. Her message is clear: Europe has the talent, the values and the industrial base — now it needs the money, speed and political will to become a global champion. #EIB #eudebates #NadiaCalvino #EUbudget #Competitiveness #MFF