Hanoi (VNA) – A high-level delegation from the European InvestmentBank (EIB) – the world’s largest international public bank – led by its VicePresident Jonathan Taylor is on a working visit to Hanoi from January 8-10, theDelegation of the European Union to Vietnam said on January 9.

Thisis the first high-level visit of the EIB to Vietnam in the past five years.

Jonathan Taylor, Vice Presidentresponsible for operations in Asia, is accompanied by the EIB’s Director foroperations outside Europe and senior colleagues responsible for lending in theregion.

The EIB visit’s agenda includes visits to thesite of the lender’s most recent climate related investment in Vietnam, theHanoi metro project, and meetings with senior government ministers, cityleaders and representatives of financial institutions and diplomats.

“The EU Bank is committed to strengtheningclimate related investment worldwide and Vietnam is a key partner for theEuropean Union in Asia. In recent years the European Investment Bank hassupported transport, renewable energy and energy efficiency projects acrossVietnam. I look forward to seeing at first hand the transformational impact ofpast EIB investment and discussing with Vietnamese government, city andfinancial counterparts how the EIB’s future engagement can be strengthened,”said Jonathan Taylor, ahead of the visit.

“The European Union and Vietnam cooperateclosely to address global challenges and share a commitment to tackle climatechange. As the EU Bank, the European Investment Bank has unique technicalexperience and finance expertise that are already contributing to sustainabledevelopment here in Vietnam and across Asia. I am confident that as the world’slargest financier for climate related investment the strengthened EIBengagement in Vietnam will unlock new investment across crucial sectors in theyears to come,” said Ambassador Bruno Angelet, Head of the Delegation of theEuropean Union to Vietnam.

Past transport financing by the EuropeanInvestment Bank in Vietnam is supporting construction of new urban railinfrastructure in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. In recent years the EIB has alsofinanced small scale climate related investment, including renewable energyprojects and cutting energy use in industry, in partnership with Vietnamesebanks.

TheEuropean Investment Bank is owned by 28 EU members. Since 1998, the bank hasapproved investments worth over 710 million EUR in Vietnam, mostly in projectson transport, climate and renewable energy.-VNA