The European Ombudsman has launched a strategic initiative, looking into the transparency of the measures introduced by the European Investment Bank (EIB) in response to the COVID-19 crisis. In the context of the initiative, she set out a series of questions to the EIB concerning, amongst other things, the transparency of the terms and criteria related to new financing measures for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The EIB replied to the Ombudsman, setting out measures it has taken to ensure transparency of its COVID-19 response. The Ombudsman welcomed the EIB's response and closed the initiative. However, she drew the EIB's attention to other ongoing inquiries regarding the transparency of projects that it finances directly and indirectly (through intermediaries).
