1.   The general objective of the InvestEU Programme is to support the policy objectives of the Union by means of financing and investment operations that contribute to:

2.   The InvestEU Programme has the following specific objectives:

1.   The EU guarantee for the purposes of the EU compartment referred to in point (a) of Article 9(1) shall be EUR 26 152 310 073 in current prices. It shall be provisioned at the rate of 40 %. The amount referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph of Article 35(3) shall be also taken into account for contributing to the provisioning resulting from that provisioning rate.

An additional amount of the EU guarantee may be provided for the purposes of the Member State compartment referred to in point (b) of Article 9(1) of this Regulation, subject to the allocation by Member States, pursuant to the provisions on the use of the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the EMFAF delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the instrument for financial support for border management and visa (the ‘Common Provisions Regulation for 2021-2027’) and the provisions on the use of the EAFRD delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the CAP Strategic Plans Regulation, of the corresponding amounts.

An additional amount of the EU guarantee may also be provided in the form of cash or guarantee by Member States for the purposes of the Member State compartment. The amount provided in cash shall constitute an external assigned revenue in accordance with the second sentence of Article 21(5) of the Financial Regulation.

The contributions from third countries referred to in Article 5 of this Regulation shall also increase the EU guarantee referred to in the first subparagraph, providing a provisioning in cash in full in accordance with Article 218(2) of the Financial Regulation.

2.   An amount of EUR 14 825 000 000 in current prices of the amount referred to in the first subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article shall be allocated for operations implementing measures referred to in Article 1 of Regulation (EU) 2020/2094 for the objectives referred to in Article 3(2) of this Regulation.

An amount of EUR 11 327 310 073 in current prices of the amount referred to in the first subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article shall be allocated for the objectives referred to in Article 3(2).

The amounts referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall only be available as of the date referred to in Article 3(3) of Regulation (EU) 2020/2094.

The indicative distribution of the EU guarantee for the purposes of the EU compartment is set out in Annex I to this Regulation. Where appropriate, the Commission may depart from the amounts referred to in Annex I by up to 15 % for each objective referred to in points (a) to (d) of Article 3(2). The Commission shall inform the European Parliament and the Council of any such departure.

3.   The financial envelope for the implementation of the measures provided in Chapters VI and VII shall be EUR 430 000 000 in current prices.

4.   The amount referred to in paragraph 3 may also be used for technical and administrative assistance for the implementation of the InvestEU Programme, such as preparatory, monitoring, control, audit and evaluation activities, including for corporate information technology systems.

1.   The EU guarantee shall be implemented in indirect management with bodies referred to in points (c)(ii), (c)(iii), (c)(v) and (c)(vi) of Article 62(1) of the Financial Regulation. Other forms of Union funding under this Regulation shall be implemented in direct or indirect management in accordance with the Financial Regulation, including grants implemented in accordance with Title VIII of the Financial Regulation and blending operations implemented in accordance with this Article as smoothly as possible, in a manner that ensures efficient and coherent support for Union policies.

2.   Financing and investment operations covered by the EU guarantee which form part of the blending operation combining support under this Regulation with support provided under one or more other Union programmes or covered by the EU ETS Innovation Fund shall:

3.   Blending operations that include a financial instrument that is fully financed by other Union programmes or by the EU ETS Innovation Fund without the use of the EU guarantee under this Regulation shall be consistent with the policy objectives and comply with the eligibility criteria set out in the rules of the Union programme under which the support is provided.

4.   In accordance with paragraph 2 of this Article, the non-repayable forms of support and financial instruments from the Union budget forming part of the blending operation referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article shall be decided under the rules of the relevant Union programme and shall be implemented within the blending operation in accordance with this Regulation and with Title X of the Financial Regulation.

The reporting relating to such blending operations shall also cover their consistency with the policy objectives and eligibility criteria set out in the rules of the Union programme under which the support is decided as well as their compliance with this Regulation.

1.   Support from the EU guarantee under this Regulation, Union support provided through the financial instruments established by the programmes in the programming period 2014-2020 and Union support from the EU guarantee established by Regulation (EU) 2015/1017 may be combined in financial products to be implemented by the EIB or the EIF under this Regulation.

2.   By way of derogation from Article 19(2) and the second subparagraph of Article 16(1), the EU guarantee under this Regulation may also cover losses referred to in Article 19(2) in relation to the entire portfolio of financing and investment operations supported by the financial products referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.

Notwithstanding the objectives of the financial instruments referred to in paragraph 1, the provisions made to cover the financial liabilities arising from financial instruments referred to in paragraph 1 may be used to cover losses in relation to the entire portfolio of financing and investment operations supported by the financial products referred to in paragraph 1.

3.   Losses, revenues and repayments from financial products as referred to in paragraph 1, as well as potential recoveries, shall be attributed pro rata between the financial instruments and EU guarantees referred to in that paragraph providing the combined Union support to that financial product.

4.   The terms and conditions of the financial products referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, including the respective pro rata shares of losses, revenues, repayments and recoveries, shall be set out in the guarantee agreement referred to in Article 17.

1.   The InvestEU Fund shall operate through the following four policy windows that shall address market failures or suboptimal investment situations within their specific scope:

2.   A just transition scheme shall be established horizontally across all policy windows. That scheme shall comprise investments that address social, economic and environmental challenges deriving from the transition process towards the achievement of the Union’s 2030 climate target and its target of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, as well as benefit territories identified in a just transition plan prepared by a Member State in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Just Transition Fund Regulation.

3.   All policy windows may include strategic investments including important projects of common European interest to support final recipients whose activities are of strategic importance to the Union, in particular in view of the green and digital transitions, of enhanced resilience and of strengthening strategic value chains.

In the case of strategic investments in defence and space sectors and in cybersecurity, as well as in specific types of projects with actual and direct security implications in critical sectors, the investment guidelines adopted in accordance with paragraph 9 of this Article (the ‘investment guidelines’) shall set out limitations with respect to final recipients controlled by a third country or third country entities and final recipients having their executive management outside the Union with a view to protecting the security of the Union and its Member States. Those limitations shall be set out in line with the principles concerning eligible entities set out in the relevant provisions of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Defence Fund and repealing Regulation (EU) 2018/1092 and in the relevant provisions of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013, (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision No 541/2014/EU.

The investment guidelines shall set out any necessary requirements relating to the control and executive management of final recipients for other areas, and to the control of intermediaries, in the light of any applicable public order or security considerations. Taking account of those requirements, the Steering Board shall set out any necessary additional requirements.

4.   Where a financing or investment operation proposed to the Investment Committee falls under more than one policy window, it shall be attributed to the policy window under which its main objective or the main objective of most of its sub-projects falls, unless the investment guidelines provide otherwise.

5.   Financing and investment operations shall be screened to determine whether they have an environmental, climate or social impact. If those operations have such an impact they shall be subject to climate, environmental and social sustainability proofing with a view to minimising detrimental impacts and to maximising benefits to the climate, environment and social dimensions. For that purpose, project promoters that request financing shall provide adequate information based on the guidance referred to in paragraph 6. Projects below a certain size specified in the guidance shall be excluded from the proofing. Projects that are inconsistent with the climate objectives shall not be eligible for support under this Regulation. In the event that the implementing partner concludes that no sustainability proofing is to be carried out, it shall provide a justification to the Investment Committee.

6.   The Commission shall develop sustainability guidance that, in accordance with Union environmental and social objectives and standards and, taking appropriate account of the principle of ‘do no significant harm’ allows for:

7.   Implementing partners shall provide the information necessary to allow the tracking of investment that contributes to meeting the Union objectives on climate and environment, on the basis of guidance to be provided by the Commission.

8.   Implementing partners shall apply a target of at least 60 % of the investment under the sustainable infrastructure policy window contributing to meeting the Union objectives on climate and environment.

The Commission, together with implementing partners, shall seek to ensure that the part of the EU guarantee used for the sustainable infrastructure policy window is distributed with the aim of achieving a balance between the different areas referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1.

9.   The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 34 in order to supplement this Regulation by defining the investment guidelines for each of the policy windows. The investment guidelines shall also set out the arrangements for the implementation of the just transition scheme, as referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article. The investment guidelines shall be prepared in close dialogue with the EIB Group and other potential implementing partners.

10.   For strategic financing and investment operations in defence and space sectors and in cybersecurity, the investment guidelines may set out limitations with respect to transfer and licensing of intellectual property rights to critical technologies and technologies instrumental to safeguarding the security of the Union and its Member States while respecting Member State competence within export control.

11.   The Commission shall make the information on the application and interpretation of the investment guidelines available to the implementing partners, the Investment Committee and the advisory partners.

1.   The policy windows referred to in Article 8(1) shall consist of an EU compartment and a Member State compartment. Those compartments shall address market failures or suboptimal investment situations as follows:

2.   Where appropriate, the compartments referred to in paragraph 1 shall be used in a complementary manner to support a given financing or investment operation, including by combining support from both compartments.

1.   Amounts allocated by a Member State on a voluntary basis pursuant to the provisions on the use of the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the EMFAF delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the Common Provisions Regulation for 2021-2027 or to the provisions on the use of the EAFRD delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the CAP Strategic Plans Regulation or amounts provided in cash in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 4(1) of this Regulation shall be used for the provisioning for the part of the EU guarantee under the Member State compartment covering financing and investment operations in the Member State concerned or for the possible contribution to the InvestEU Advisory Hub. Those amounts shall be used to contribute to the achievement of the policy objectives specified in the Partnership Agreement referred to in the provisions on the preparation and submission of the Partnership Agreement laid down in the Common Provisions Regulation for 2021-2027, in the programmes or in the CAP Strategic Plan which contribute to the InvestEU Programme, in order to implement relevant measures set out in the recovery and resilience plan established under Regulation (EU) 2021/241 or, in other cases, for the purposes laid down in the contribution agreement, depending on the origin of the amount contributed.

2.   The establishment of the part of the EU guarantee under the Member State compartment shall be subject to the conclusion of a contribution agreement between a Member State and the Commission.

The fourth subparagraph of this paragraph and paragraph 5 of this Article shall not apply to the additional amount provided by a Member State under the third subparagraph of Article 4(1).

The provisions in this Article relating to amounts allocated pursuant to the provisions on the use of the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the EMFAF delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the Common Provisions Regulation for 2021-2027 or to the provisions on the use of the EAFRD delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the CAP Strategic Plans Regulation are not applicable to a contribution agreement concerning an additional amount by a Member State, referred to in the third subparagraph of Article 4(1) of this Regulation.

The Member State and the Commission shall conclude a contribution agreement or an amendment to it within four months following the Commission Decision approving the Partnership Agreement pursuant to the provisions on the approval of the Partnership Agreement laid down in the Common Provisions Regulation for 2021-2027 or the CAP Strategic Plan under the CAP Strategic Plans Regulation or simultaneously to the Commission Decision amending a programme in accordance with the provisions on the use of the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the EMFAF delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the Common Provisions Regulation for 2021-2027 or a CAP Strategic Plan in accordance with the provisions on the amendment to the CAP Strategic Plan laid down in the CAP Strategic Plans Regulation.

Two or more Member States may conclude a joint contribution agreement with the Commission.

By way of derogation from Article 211(1) of the Financial Regulation, the provisioning rate of the EU guarantee under the Member State compartment shall be set at 40 % and may be adjusted downwards or upwards in each contribution agreement to take account of the risks attached to the financial products intended to be used.

3.   The contribution agreement shall at least contain the following elements:

4.   The contribution agreements shall be implemented by the Commission through guarantee agreements concluded with implementing partners in accordance with Article 17 and advisory agreements concluded with advisory partners in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 25(1).

Where no guarantee agreement has been concluded within nine months from the conclusion of the contribution agreement, the contribution agreement shall be terminated or prolonged by mutual agreement. Where the amount of a contribution agreement has not been fully committed under one or more guarantee agreements within nine months from the conclusion of the contribution agreement, that amount shall be amended accordingly. The unused amount of provisioning attributable to amounts allocated by Member States pursuant to the provisions on the use of the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the EMFAF delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the Common Provisions Regulation for 2021-2027 or to the provisions on the use of the EAFRD delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the CAP Strategic Plans Regulation shall be re-used in accordance with those Regulations. The unused amount of provisioning attributable to amounts allocated by a Member State under the third subparagraph of Article 4(1) of this Regulation shall be paid back to the Member State.

Where a guarantee agreement has not been duly implemented within the period specified in the provisions on the use of the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the EMFAF delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the Common Provisions Regulation for 2021-2027 or in the provisions on the use of the EAFRD delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the CAP Strategic Plans Regulation, or, in the case of a guarantee agreement related to amounts provided in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 4(1) of this Regulation, in the relevant contribution agreement, the contribution agreement shall be amended. The unused amount of provisioning attributable to amounts allocated by Member States pursuant to the provisions on the use of the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the EMFAF delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the Common Provisions Regulation for 2021-2027 or to the provisions on the use of the EAFRD delivered through the InvestEU Programme laid down in the CAP Strategic Plans Regulation shall be re-used in accordance with those Regulations. The unused amount of provisioning attributable to amounts allocated by a Member State under the third subparagraph of Article 4(1) of this Regulation shall be paid back to the Member State.

5.   The following rules shall apply to the provisioning for the part of the EU guarantee under the Member State compartment established by a contribution agreement:

6.   In relation to amounts referred to in the third subparagraph of Article 4(1), the management of the annual surpluses and replenishments after the constitution phase shall be defined in the contribution agreement.

1.   The Commission and the EIB Group shall form a partnership under this Regulation with the objective of supporting the implementation of the InvestEU Programme and fostering consistency, inclusivity, additionality, and efficient deployment. In accordance with this Regulation and as further specified in the agreements referred to in paragraph 3, the EIB Group:

The EIB Group shall ensure that its tasks as referred to in point (d)(ii) of the first subparagraph are conducted entirely independently from its role as an advisory partner.

As appropriate, the Commission shall engage with the implementing partner on the basis of the findings of the opinion of the EIB Group referred to in point (b)(iv) of the first subparagraph. The Commission shall inform the EIB Group of the outcome of its decision-making.

2.   The banking-related information transmitted to the EIB Group by the Commission in accordance with points (b)(ii), (b)(iv), (b)(v) and (b)(vi) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 1 shall be limited to information strictly necessary for the EIB Group to fulfil its obligations under those points. The Commission, in close dialogue with the EIB Group and potential implementing partners, shall define the nature and scope of that banking-related information, taking into account the requirements for the sound financial management of the EU guarantee, the legitimate interests of the implementing partner regarding commercially sensitive information and the needs of the EIB Group in meeting its obligations under those points.

3.   The terms of the partnership shall be laid down in agreements, including:

4.   Without prejudice to Articles 18(3) and 25(4) of this Regulation, the costs incurred by the EIB Group in the performance of tasks referred to in points (b) and (c) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article shall be in accordance with the terms of the agreement referred to in point (b) of paragraph 3 of this Article and may be covered from the repayments or revenues attributable to the EU guarantee, or from the provisioning, in accordance with Article 211(4) and (5) of the Financial Regulation, or may be charged to the financial envelope referred to in Article 4(3) of this Regulation, upon justification of those costs by the EIB Group, subject to an overall cap of EUR 7 000 000.

5.   The costs incurred by the EIB Group for the performance of the operational tasks referred to in point (d)(ii) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 1 shall be fully covered by and paid from the amount referred to in point (d)(i) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 1, upon justification of those costs by the EIB Group, subject to an overall cap of EUR 10 000 000.

1.   Within the framework of the partnership as referred to in Article 11, the EIB Group shall take all necessary measures and precautions to avoid conflicts of interest with other implementing partners, including by putting in place a dedicated and independent team for the tasks referred to in points (b)(iii) to (vi) of the first subparagraph of Article 11(1). That team shall be subject to strict confidentiality rules, which shall continue to apply to members of the team after they have left the team.

2.   The EIB Group and other implementing partners shall inform the Commission without delay of any situation that constitutes a conflict of interest or is likely to lead to a conflict of interest. In the event of doubt, the Commission shall determine whether a conflict of interest exists and shall inform the EIB Group of its conclusion. In the event of a conflict of interest, the EIB Group shall take appropriate measures. The EIB Group shall inform the Steering Board of those measures and their results.

3.   The EIB Group shall take the necessary precautions to avoid situations in which a conflict of interest could arise in the implementation of the InvestEU Advisory Hub, in particular in relation to its operational tasks in its role of supporting the Commission as referred to in point (d)(ii) of the first subparagraph of Article 11(1). In the event of a conflict of interest, the EIB Group shall take appropriate measures.

1.   The EU guarantee shall be granted as an irrevocable, unconditional and on demand guarantee to the implementing partners in accordance with Article 219(1) of the Financial Regulation and implemented in indirect management in accordance with Title X of that Regulation.

2.   The remuneration for the EU guarantee shall be linked to the characteristics and risk profile of the financial products, taking into account the nature of the underlying financing and investment operations and the fulfilment of the policy objectives targeted by the financial products.

Where duly justified by the nature of the policy objectives targeted by the financial product and the need for the financial products to be affordable to the targeted final recipients, the cost of the financing provided to the final recipient may be reduced or the terms of that financing may be improved, by reducing the remuneration for the EU guarantee, or, where necessary, by covering the outstanding administrative costs borne by the implementing partner through the Union budget, in particular:

The reduction of the remuneration for the EU guarantee or the coverage of the outstanding administrative costs borne by the implementing partner, referred to in the second subparagraph, may only be done to the extent that it does not significantly impact the provisioning for the EU guarantee.

The reduction of the remuneration for the EU guarantee shall fully benefit final recipients.

3.   The condition set out in Article 219(4) of the Financial Regulation shall apply to each implementing partner on a portfolio basis.

4.   75 % of the EU guarantee under the EU compartment as referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 4(1), amounting to EUR 19 614 232 554, shall be granted to the EIB Group. The EIB Group shall provide an aggregate financial contribution amounting to EUR 4 903 558 139. That contribution shall be provided in a manner and form that facilitates the implementation of the InvestEU Fund and the achievement of the objectives set out in Article 15(2).

5.   The remaining 25 % of the EU guarantee under the EU compartment shall be granted to other implementing partners, which shall also provide a financial contribution to be determined in the guarantee agreements.

6.   Best efforts shall be made to ensure that, at the end of the investment period, a wide range of sectors and regions are covered and excessive sectoral or geographical concentration is avoided. Those efforts shall include incentives for smaller or less sophisticated national promotional banks and institutions that have a comparative advantage due to their local presence, knowledge and investment competencies. The Commission shall develop a coherent approach to support those efforts.

7.   Support under the EU guarantee referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 4(2) of this Regulation shall be granted under the conditions set out in Article 3(6) of Regulation (EU) 2020/2094. In other cases, support under the EU guarantee may be granted for financing and investment operations covered by this Regulation for an investment period ending on 31 December 2027.

Contracts between the implementing partner and the final recipient or the financial intermediary or other entity referred to in point (a) of Article 16(1) under the EU guarantee referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 4(2) shall be signed at the latest one year after the approval of the relevant financing or investment operation by the implementing partner. In other cases, contracts between the implementing partner and the final recipient or the financial intermediary or other entity referred to in point (a) of Article 16(1) shall be signed by 31 December 2028.

1.   The InvestEU Fund shall only support financing and investment operations that:

2.   In addition to projects situated in the Union, or in an overseas country or territory linked to a Member State as set out in Annex II to the TFEU, the InvestEU Fund may support the following projects and operations through financing and investment operations:

3.   The InvestEU Fund may support financing and investment operations that provide finance to final recipients which are legal entities established in any of the following countries or territories:

1.   The Commission shall select implementing partners other than the EIB Group in accordance with Article 154 of the Financial Regulation.

Implementing partners may form a group. An implementing partner may be a member of one or more groups.

For the EU compartment, the eligible counterparties shall have expressed their interest in relation to the portion of the EU guarantee referred to in Article 13(5).

For the Member State compartment, the Member State concerned may propose one or more counterparties as implementing partners from among those counterparties that have expressed their interest. The Member State concerned may also propose the EIB Group as an implementing partner and, at its own expense, may contract the EIB Group to provide the services listed in Article 11.

Where the Member State concerned does not propose an implementing partner, the Commission shall proceed in accordance with the third subparagraph of this paragraph and shall select as implementing partners eligible counterparties that are able to cover the financing and investment operations in the geographical areas concerned.

2.   When selecting implementing partners, the Commission shall ensure that the portfolio of financial products under the InvestEU Fund meets the following objectives:

3.   When selecting the implementing partners, the Commission shall also take into account:

4.   National promotional banks and institutions may be selected as implementing partners, provided that they fulfil the requirements laid down in this Article.

1.   The EU guarantee may be used towards risk coverage for the following types of financing provided by the implementing partners:

In order to be covered by the EU guarantee, the financing referred to in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall be granted, acquired or issued for the benefit of financing and investment operations referred to in Article 14(1), where the financing by the implementing partner was granted in accordance with a financing agreement or transaction signed or entered into by the implementing partner after the signature of the guarantee agreement and that has not expired or been cancelled.

2.   Financing and investment operations through funds or other intermediate structures shall be supported by the EU guarantee in accordance with provisions to be laid down in the investment guidelines, even if such structures invest a minority of their invested amounts outside the Union and in third countries referred to Article 14(2) or invest a minority of their invested amounts into assets other than those eligible under this Regulation.

1.   The Commission shall conclude a guarantee agreement with each implementing partner on the granting of the EU guarantee up to an amount to be determined by the Commission.

In the event that implementing partners form a group, a single guarantee agreement shall be concluded between the Commission and each implementing partner within the group or with one implementing partner on behalf of the group.

2.   The guarantee agreement shall contain:

3.   A guarantee agreement shall also provide that remuneration attributable to the Union from financing and investment operations covered by this Regulation is to be provided after the deduction of payments due upon calls on the EU guarantee.

4.   In addition, a guarantee agreement shall provide that any amount due to the implementing partner that relates to the EU guarantee shall be deducted from the overall amount of remuneration, revenues and repayments due by the implementing partner to the Union from financing and investment operations covered by this Regulation. Where that amount is not sufficient to cover the amount due to the implementing partner in accordance with Article 18(3), the outstanding amount shall be drawn from the provisioning for the EU guarantee.

5.   Where the guarantee agreement is concluded under the Member State compartment, it may provide for the participation of representatives from the Member State or the regions concerned in the monitoring of the implementation of that guarantee agreement.

1.   The granting of the EU guarantee shall be subject to the entry into force of the guarantee agreement with the relevant implementing partner.

2.   Financing and investment operations shall be covered by the EU guarantee only where they fulfil the criteria laid down in this Regulation and in the relevant investment guidelines, and where the Investment Committee has concluded that those operations fulfil the requirements for benefiting from the EU guarantee. The implementing partners shall remain responsible for ensuring that the financing and investment operations comply with this Regulation and the relevant investment guidelines.

3.   No administrative costs or fees related to the implementation of financing and investment operations under the EU guarantee shall be due to the implementing partner by the Commission unless the nature of the policy objectives targeted by the financial product to be implemented and the affordability for the targeted final recipients or the type of financing provided allow the implementing partner to duly justify to the Commission the need for an exception. The coverage of such costs by the Union budget shall be limited to the amount strictly required to implement the relevant financing and investment operations, and shall be provided only to the extent to which the costs are not covered by revenues received by the implementing partners from the financing and investment operations concerned. The fee arrangements shall be laid down in the guarantee agreement and shall comply with Article 17(4) of this Regulation and with point (g) of Article 209(2) of the Financial Regulation.

4.   In addition, the implementing partner may use the EU guarantee to meet the relevant share of any recovery costs in accordance with Article 17(4), unless those costs have been deducted from recovery proceeds.

1.   Remuneration for risk-taking shall be allocated between the Union and an implementing partner in proportion to their respective share of the risk-taking with respect to a portfolio of financing and investment operations or, where relevant, with respect to individual financing and investment operations. The remuneration for the EU guarantee may be reduced in duly justified cases referred to in Article 13(2).

The implementing partner shall have appropriate exposure at its own risk to financing and investment operations supported by the EU guarantee, unless exceptionally the policy objectives targeted by the financial product to be implemented are of such nature that the implementing partner could not reasonably contribute its own risk-bearing capacity to it.

2.   The EU guarantee shall cover:

For the purposes of point (a)(i) of the first subparagraph, for subordinated debt a deferral, reduction or required exit shall be considered to be an event of default.

3.   Where the Union makes a payment to the implementing partner as the result of a call on the EU guarantee, the Union shall be subrogated into the relevant rights of the implementing partner relating to any of its financing or investment operations covered by the EU guarantee, to the extent that those rights continue to exist.

The implementing partner shall pursue the recovery of claims for the subrogated amounts on behalf of the Union and shall reimburse the Union from the amounts recovered.

1.   The Commission and the Steering Board established pursuant to Article 21 shall be advised by an advisory board (the ‘Advisory Board’).

2.   The Advisory Board shall strive to ensure gender balance and shall comprise:

3.   The Advisory Board shall be chaired by a representative of the Commission. The representative of the EIB Group shall be the vice-chair.

The Advisory Board shall meet regularly, at least twice a year, at the request of the Chairperson.

4.   The Advisory Board shall:

5.   The Commission shall nominate the first Advisory Board members representing the implementing partners other than the EIB Group after consultation of potential implementing partners. Their term is limited to one year.

6.   Meetings of representatives of the Member States in a separate format shall also be organised at least twice a year and chaired by the Commission.

7.   The Advisory Board and the meetings of the representatives of the Member States referred to in paragraph 6 may issue recommendations to the Steering Board for its consideration regarding the implementation and operation of the InvestEU Programme.

8.   Detailed minutes of the meetings of the Advisory Board shall be made public as soon as possible after they have been approved by the Advisory Board.

The Commission shall establish the operating rules and procedures for the Advisory Board and shall manage the secretariat of the Advisory Board. All relevant documentation and information shall be made available to the Advisory Board to enable it to exercise its tasks.

9.   The national promotional banks and institutions represented on the Advisory Board shall select from among themselves the representatives of the implementing partners other than the EIB Group in the Steering Board established pursuant to Article 21. The national promotional banks and institutions shall aim to achieve a balanced representation in the Steering Board in terms of size and geographical location. The representatives selected shall represent the agreed common position of all implementing partners other than the EIB Group.

1.   A steering board for the InvestEU Programme (the ‘Steering Board’) shall be established. It shall be composed of four representatives of the Commission, three representatives of the EIB Group and two representatives of the implementing partners other than the EIB Group and one expert appointed as a non-voting member by the European Parliament. The expert appointed as a non-voting member by the European Parliament shall not seek or take instructions from Union institutions, bodies, offices or agencies, from any Member State government or from any other public or private body and shall act with full independence. That expert shall perform his or her duties impartially and in the interest of the InvestEU Programme.

Members of the Steering Board shall be appointed for a term of four years, renewable once, with the exception of the representatives of the implementing partners other than the EIB Group, who shall be appointed for a term of two years.

2.   The Steering Board shall select a Chairperson from among the Commission representatives for a term of four years, renewable once. The Chairperson shall report biannually to the representatives of the Member States on the Advisory Board on the implementation and operation of the InvestEU Programme.

Detailed minutes of Steering Board meetings shall be published as soon as they have been approved by the Steering Board.

3.   The Steering Board shall:

4.   The Steering Board shall use a consensual approach in its discussions, therefore taking the utmost possible account of the positions of all members. If the members cannot converge in their positions, decisions of the Steering Board are taken by qualified majority of its voting members, consisting of at least seven votes.

1.   A scoreboard of indicators (the ‘Scoreboard’) shall be established to ensure that the Investment Committee is able to carry out an independent, transparent and harmonised assessment of requests for the use of the EU guarantee for financing and investment operations proposed by implementing partners.

2.   Implementing partners shall fill out the Scoreboard for their proposals for financing and investment operations.

3.   The Scoreboard shall cover the following elements:

4.   The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 34 in order to supplement this Regulation by establishing additional elements of the Scoreboard, including detailed rules for the Scoreboard to be used by the implementing partners.

1.   The Commission shall conduct a check to confirm that the financing and investment operations proposed by the implementing partners other than the EIB comply with Union law and policies.

2.   EIB financing and investment operations that fall within the scope of this Regulation shall not be covered by the EU guarantee where the Commission delivers an unfavourable opinion within the framework of the procedure provided for in Article 19 of the EIB Statute.

1.   A fully independent investment committee shall be established for the InvestEU Fund (the ‘Investment Committee’). The Investment Committee shall:

When performing the tasks referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph, the Investment Committee shall give particular attention to the additionality requirements set out in point (b) of Article 209(2) of the Financial Regulation and in Annex V to this Regulation and to the requirement to crowd in private investment set out in point (d) of Article 209(2) of the Financial Regulation.

2.   The Investment Committee shall meet in four different configurations, corresponding to the four policy windows referred to in Article 8(1).

Each configuration of the Investment Committee shall be composed of six remunerated external experts. The experts shall be selected and shall be appointed by the Commission, at the recommendation of the Steering Board. The experts shall be appointed for a term of up to four years, renewable once. They shall be remunerated by the Union. The Commission, at the recommendation of the Steering Board, may decide to renew the term of office of an incumbent member of the Investment Committee without following the procedure laid down in this paragraph.

The experts shall have a high level of relevant market experience in project structuring and financing or financing of SMEs or corporates.

The composition of the Investment Committee shall ensure that it has a wide knowledge of the sectors covered by the policy windows referred to in Article 8(1) and a wide knowledge of the geographic markets in the Union, and shall ensure that the Investment Committee as a whole is gender-balanced.

Four members of the Investment Committee shall be permanent members of each of the four configurations of the Investment Committee. At least one of the permanent members shall have expertise in sustainable investment. In addition, each of the four configurations shall have two experts with experience in investment in sectors covered by the corresponding policy window. The Steering Board shall assign the Investment Committee members to the appropriate configuration or configurations. The Investment Committee shall elect a chairperson from among its permanent members.

3.   When participating in the activities of the Investment Committee, its members shall perform their duties impartially and in the sole interest of the InvestEU Fund. They shall not seek or take instructions from the implementing partners, the institutions of the Union, the Member States, or any other public or private body.

The curricula vitae and declarations of interest of each member of the Investment Committee shall be made public and kept up to date. Each member of the Investment Committee shall without delay communicate to the Commission and the Steering Board all information needed to confirm the absence of any conflict of interest on an ongoing basis.

The Steering Board may recommend to the Commission that it remove a member from his or her functions if that member does not comply with the requirements laid down in this paragraph or for other duly justified reasons.

4.   When acting in accordance with this Article, the Investment Committee shall be assisted by a secretariat. The secretariat shall be independent and answerable to the chairperson of the Investment Committee. The secretariat shall be administratively located in the Commission. The rules of procedure of the secretariat shall ensure the confidentiality of exchanges of information and documents between implementing partners and the respective governing bodies. The EIB Group may submit its proposals for financing and investment operations directly to the Investment Committee and shall notify them to the secretariat.

The documentation to be provided by the implementing partners shall comprise a standardised request form, the Scoreboard referred to in Article 22 and any other document the Investment Committee considers relevant, in particular a description of the character of the market failure or suboptimal investment situation and how it will be alleviated by the financing or investment operation, as well as a reliable assessment of the operation that demonstrates the additionality of the financing or investment operation. The secretariat shall check the completeness of the documentation provided by implementing partners other than the EIB Group. The Investment Committee may seek clarifications from the implementing partner concerned in relation to a proposal for an investment or financing operation, including by requesting the direct presence of a representative of the implementing partner concerned during the discussion of the aforementioned operation. Any project assessment conducted by an implementing partner shall not be binding on the Investment Committee for the purposes of granting a financing or investment operation coverage by the EU guarantee.

The Investment Committee shall use the Scoreboard referred to in Article 22 in its assessment and verification of the proposed financial and investment operations.

5.   Conclusions of the Investment Committee shall be adopted by simple majority of all members, provided that such simple majority includes at least one of the non-permanent members of the configuration relating to the policy window under which the proposal is made. In the event of a draw, the chair of the Investment Committee shall have the casting vote.

Conclusions of the Investment Committee approving the coverage of the EU guarantee for a financing or investment operation shall be publicly accessible and shall include the rationale for the approval and information on the operation, in particular its description, the identity of the promoters or financial intermediaries, and the objectives of the operation. The conclusions shall also refer to the global assessment stemming from the Scoreboard.

The relevant Scoreboard shall be made publicly accessible after the signature of the financing or investment operation or sub-project, if applicable.

Information to be made publicly accessible under the second and third subparagraphs shall not contain commercially sensitive information or personal data that are not to be disclosed under the Union data protection rules. Commercially sensitive parts of the conclusions of the Investment Committee shall be forwarded by the Commission to the European Parliament and to the Council upon request subject to strict confidentiality requirements.

Twice a year, the Investment Committee shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council a list of all conclusions of the Investment Committee in the preceding six months, as well as the published Scoreboards relating thereto. That submission shall include any decisions rejecting the use of the EU guarantee. Those decisions shall be subject to strict confidentiality requirements.

Conclusions of the Investment Committee shall be made available in a timely manner to the implementing partner concerned by the secretariat of the Investment Committee.

The secretariat of the Investment Committee shall record all information related to proposals for financing and investment operations provided to the Investment Committee and the conclusions of the Investment Committee on those proposals in a central repository.

6.   Where the Investment Committee is requested to approve the use of the EU guarantee for a financing or investment operation that is a facility, programme or structure which has underlying sub-projects, that approval shall comprise those underlying sub-projects unless the Investment Committee decides to retain the right to approve them separately. The Investment Committee shall not have the right to separately approve sub-projects of a size below EUR 3 000 000.

7.   Where it deems it necessary, the Investment Committee may bring to the Commission any operational issue relating to the application or interpretation of the investment guidelines.

1.   The Commission shall establish the InvestEU Advisory Hub. The InvestEU Advisory Hub shall provide advisory support for the identification, preparation, development, structuring, procuring and implementation of investment projects, and for enhancing the capacity of project promoters and financial intermediaries to implement financing and investment operations. Such support may cover any stage of the life cycle of a project or financing of a supported entity.

The Commission shall conclude advisory agreements with the EIB Group and other potential advisory partners and task them with the provision of advisory support as referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph and of the services referred to in paragraph 2. The Commission may also implement advisory initiatives, including through contracting external service providers. The Commission shall establish a central entry point to the InvestEU Advisory Hub and shall allocate requests for advisory support to be dealt under the appropriate advisory initiative. The Commission, the EIB Group and the other advisory partners shall cooperate closely with a view to ensuring efficiency, synergies and effective geographic coverage of support across the Union, while taking due account of existing structures and work.

Advisory initiatives shall be available as a component under each policy window referred to in Article 8(1), covering sectors under that window. In addition, advisory initiatives shall be available under a cross-sectoral component.

2.   The InvestEU Advisory Hub shall in particular:

3.   The InvestEU Advisory Hub shall be available to public and private project promoters, including SMEs and start-ups, to public authorities, to national promotional banks and institutions, and to financial and non-financial intermediaries.

4.   The Commission shall conclude an advisory agreement with each advisory partner on the implementation of one or more advisory initiatives. The InvestEU Advisory Hub may charge fees for the services referred to in paragraph 2 to cover part of the costs for providing those services, except for services provided to public project promoters or non-profit institutions, which shall be free of charge where justified. Fees charged to SMEs for those services referred to in paragraph 2 shall be capped at one third of the cost of providing those services.

5.   In order to carry out the activities referred to in paragraph 1 and to facilitate the provision of advisory support, the InvestEU Advisory Hub shall build upon the expertise of the Commission, the EIB Group and the other advisory partners.

6.   Each advisory initiative shall incorporate a cost-sharing mechanism between the Commission and the advisory partner, except where the Commission agrees to cover all costs of the advisory initiative in a duly justified case where the specificities of the advisory initiative so require and the coherent and equitable treatment of advisory partners concerned is ensured.

7.   The InvestEU Advisory Hub shall have local presence where necessary. Local presence shall be established in particular in Member States or regions that face difficulties in developing projects under the InvestEU Fund. The InvestEU Advisory Hub shall assist in the transfer of knowledge to the regional and local level with a view to building up regional and local capacity and expertise to be able to provide advisory support referred to in paragraph 1, including support to implement and accommodate small-sized projects.

8.   In order to provide the advisory support referred in paragraph 1 and to facilitate the provision of that advisory support at local level, the InvestEU Advisory Hub shall cooperate where possible with and take advantage of the expertise of national promotional banks and institutions. Where appropriate, cooperation agreements with national promotional banks and institutions shall be concluded under the InvestEU Advisory Hub, with at least one national promotional bank or institution per Member State.

9.   The implementing partners shall, as appropriate, propose to project promoters applying for financing, including in particular small-sized projects, that they request the InvestEU Advisory Hub support for their projects, where appropriate, in order to enhance the preparation of their projects and to allow for the assessment of the possibility of bundling projects.

Where relevant, the implementing partners and advisory partners shall also inform the project promoters of the possibility of listing their projects on the InvestEU Portal referred to in Article 26.

1.   The Commission shall establish the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Portal shall be an easily accessible and user-friendly project database that provides relevant information for each project.

2.   The InvestEU Portal shall provide a channel for project promoters to make projects for which they are seeking finance visible to investors. The inclusion of projects in the InvestEU Portal shall be without prejudice to decisions on the final projects selected for support under this Regulation or under any other Union instrument, or to decisions for public funding. Only projects that are compatible with Union law and policies shall be listed on the InvestEU Portal.

3.   The Commission shall transmit projects that are compatible with Union law and policies to the relevant implementing partners. Where appropriate and where an advisory initiative exists, the Commission shall also transmit such projects to the InvestEU Advisory Hub.

4.   Implementing partners shall examine projects falling within their geographic and activity scope.

1.   At the request of the European Parliament or of the Council, the Chairperson of the Steering Board shall report on the performance of the InvestEU Fund to the requesting institution, including by participating in a hearing before the European Parliament.

2.   The Chairperson of the Steering Board shall reply orally or in writing to questions addressed to the InvestEU Fund by the European Parliament or by the Council within five weeks of their receipt.

1.   Indicators to report on the progress of the InvestEU Programme towards the achievement of the general and specific objectives laid down in Article 3 are set out in Annex III.

2.   The performance reporting system shall ensure that data for monitoring the implementation and the results of the InvestEU Programme are collected efficiently, effectively and in a timely manner, and that those data allow for adequate risk and guarantee portfolio monitoring. To that end, proportionate reporting requirements shall be imposed on the implementing partners, the advisory partners and other recipients of Union funds, as appropriate.

3.   The Commission shall report on the implementation of the InvestEU Programme in accordance with Articles 241 and 250 of the Financial Regulation. In accordance with Article 41(5) of the Financial Regulation, the annual report shall provide information on the level of implementation of the Programme with respect to its objectives and performance indicators. For that purpose, each implementing partner shall provide on an annual basis the information necessary to allow the Commission to comply with its reporting obligations, including information on the operation of the EU guarantee.

4.   Every six months, each implementing partner shall submit a report to the Commission on the financing and investment operations covered by this Regulation, broken down by EU compartment and Member State compartment, as appropriate. Each implementing partner shall also submit information on the Member State compartment to the Member State whose compartment it implements. The report shall include an assessment of compliance with the requirements on the use of the EU guarantee and with the key performance indicators laid down in Annex III to this Regulation. The report shall also include operational, statistical, financial and accounting data on each financing or investment operation and an estimation of expected cash flows, at the level of compartment, policy window and the InvestEU Fund. Once a year, the report from the EIB Group and, where appropriate, from other implementing partners, shall also include information on barriers to investment encountered when carrying out financing and investment operations covered by this Regulation. The reports shall contain the information the implementing partners have to provide under point (a) of Article 155(1) of the Financial Regulation.

5.   To ensure the effective assessment of the progress of the InvestEU Programme towards the achievement of its objectives, the Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts, in accordance with Article 34, to amend Annex III with regard to the indicators where considered necessary as well as to supplement this Regulation with provisions on the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation framework.

1.   Evaluations of the InvestEU Programme shall be carried out so that they feed into the decision-making process in a timely manner.

2.   By 30 September 2024, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council an independent interim evaluation report on the InvestEU Programme, in particular on the use of the EU guarantee, on the fulfilment of the EIB Group’s obligations under points (b) and (c) of the first subparagraph of Article 11(1), on the allocation of the EU guarantee provided for in Article 13(4) and (5), on the implementation of the InvestEU Advisory Hub, on the budgetary allocation provided for in point (d)(i) of the first subparagraph of Article 11(1), and on Article 8(8). The evaluation shall in particular demonstrate how the inclusion of the implementing partners and advisory partners in the implementation of the InvestEU Programme has contributed to the reaching of InvestEU Programme targets as well as EU policy goals, especially with regard to added value and the geographical and sectoral balance of the supported financing and investment operations. The evaluation shall also assess the application of sustainability proofing pursuant to Article 8(5) and the focus on SMEs reached under the SME policy window referred to in point (c) of Article 8(1).

3.   At the end of the implementation of the InvestEU Programme, but no later than 31 December 2031, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council an independent final evaluation report on the InvestEU Programme, in particular on the use of the EU guarantee.

4.   The Commission shall communicate the conclusions of the evaluations, accompanied by its observations, to the European Parliament, to the Council, to the European Economic and Social Committee and to the Committee of the Regions.

5.   The implementing partners and advisory partners shall contribute to and provide the Commission with the information necessary to perform the evaluations referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3.

6.   In accordance with Article 211(1) of the Financial Regulation, every three years the Commission shall include in the annual report referred to in Article 250 of the Financial Regulation a review of the adequacy of the provisioning rate laid down in Article 4(1) of this Regulation with respect to the actual risk profile of the financing and investment operations covered by the EU guarantee. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 34 of this Regulation in order to amend this Regulation by adjusting the provisioning rate laid down in Article 4(1) of this Regulation by up to 15 % on the basis of that review.

1.   Implementing partners and advisory partners shall acknowledge the origin and ensure the visibility of the Union funding, in particular when promoting the actions and their results, by providing coherent, effective and proportionate targeted information to multiple audiences, including the media and the public.

The application of the requirements under the first subparagraph to projects in defence and space sectors and in cybersecurity shall be subject to respect for any confidentiality or secrecy obligations.

2.   The implementing partners and advisory partners shall inform the final recipients, including SMEs, of the existence of support under the InvestEU Programme, or oblige other financial intermediaries to inform such final recipients of that support, by making that information clearly visible in the relevant agreement providing support under the InvestEU Programme, particularly in the case of SMEs, in order to increase public awareness and improve visibility.

3.   The Commission shall implement information and communication actions relating to the InvestEU Programme, to actions taken pursuant to the InvestEU Programme and to the results obtained. Financial resources allocated to the InvestEU Programme shall also contribute to the corporate communication of the political priorities of the Union, insofar as those priorities are related to the objectives referred to in Article 3.

1.   The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article. Where delegated acts concern activities to be carried out by or involving the EIB Group and other implementing partners, the Commission shall consult with the EIB Group and other potential implementing partners before preparing those delegated acts.

2.   The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Articles 8(9), 22(4), 28(5) and 29(6) shall be conferred on the Commission until 31 December 2028. The Commission shall draw up a report in respect of the delegation of power not later than nine months before that date. The delegation of power shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before the end of each period.

3.   The delegation of power referred to in Articles 8(9), 22(4), 28(5) and 29(6) may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.

4.   Before adopting a delegated act, the Commission shall consult experts designated by each Member State in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making.

5.   As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.

6.   A delegated act adopted pursuant to Articles 8(9), 22(4), 28(5) and 29(6) shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.

1.   By way of derogation from the first and fourth subparagraphs of Article 209(3) of the Financial Regulation, any revenues, repayments and recoveries from financial instruments established by programmes referred to in Annex IV to this Regulation may be used for the provisioning of the EU guarantee under this Regulation, taking into account the relevant provisions concerning the budget laid down in the Public Sector Loan Facility Regulation for 2021-2027.

2.   By way of derogation from point (a) of Article 213(4) of the Financial Regulation, any surplus of provisions for the EU guarantee established by Regulation (EU) 2015/1017 may be used for the provisioning of the EU guarantee under this Regulation, taking into account the relevant provisions concerning the budget laid down in the Public Sector Loan Facility Regulation for 2021-2027.

3.   The amount of EUR 6 074 000 000 in current prices referred to in point (c) of Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/2094 shall be used:

That amount shall constitute an external assigned revenue in accordance with Article 21(5) of the Financial Regulation.

4.   By way of derogation from the second subparagraph of Article 16(1) of this Regulation, financing and investment operations signed or entered into by an implementing partner during the period from 1 January 2021 until the signature of their respective guarantee agreements may be covered by the EU guarantee provided that those operations are indicated in the guarantee agreement, pass the policy check referred to in Article 23(1) of this Regulation or receive a favourable opinion within the framework of the procedure provided for in Article 19 of the EIB Statute and are in both cases approved by the Investment Committee in accordance with Article 24 of this Regulation.