Consultancy Services to Support the Evaluation Division within the EIB Group

The European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group) consists of the European Investment Bank (EIB or the Bank) and the European Investment Fund (EIF).

The EIB is the financing institution of the European Union (EU). Created by the Treaty of Rome, its shareholders are the Member States of the EU, and its Board of Governors is composed of the Finance Ministers of these States. The EIB enjoys its own legal personality and financial autonomy within the Community system.

The mission of the EIB is to contribute, by financing sound investment, to the policy objectives of the EU, as laid down in its statutes and in decisions of the European Council.

The EIB contributes to the integration, balanced development and economic and social cohesion of the Members of the EU. To this end, it raises on the markets substantial volumes of funds that aim at financing capital projects according to the objectives of the EU with the most favourable financial terms. Outside the EU the EIB implements the financial components of agreements concluded under European development aid and cooperation policies.

More background information about the EIB may be found on the website http://www.eib.org

The EIF is the Group’s specialist provider of risk finance to benefit small and medium-sized enterprises across Europe. Its shareholders are the EIB, the European Commission and a wide range of public and private financial institutions.

The EIF’s central mission is to support Europe’s small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. The EIF designs and develops venture capital and guarantees instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, the EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth, and employment. With investments in over 400 funds, the EIF is a leading player in European venture capital due to the scale and the scope of its investments, especially in high-tech and early-stage segments.

More information can be obtained on the site http://www.eif.org.

For the purposes of this call for tender, the EIB Group is represented by the EIB.