“Extremely valuable”, “Amazing opportunity”: From 27 June to 7 July, 80 students from 22 European universities took a deep dive into the EU’s climate bank role during the EIB Summer School 2023, two weeks of lectures and seminars taught by EIB Group staff members.
“The Summer School is an amazing opportunity for students to get first-hand experience on the Bank’s functioning, while joining an amazing network of like-minded students from all over the world”, says Sebastian (University of Bucharest). “This particular programme, centred around the crucial topic of sustainable financing, was an opportunity to thrive in an intellectually stimulating environment, nourish your soul with invaluable insights from inspiring speakers and students, and return home with meaningful memories and experiences that made both your heart and mind blossom”, adds Anja (University of Vienna). “What the EIB team created with this summer school in regards to both academic and social aspects definitely represents an unrivalled experience! “ concludes Pau (College of Europe, Bruges).
EIB President Werner Hoyer opened the Summer School with a lively “tour d’horizon” peppered with anecdotes, describing the EU bank’s key role in a polycrisis world. “We want to hear the voice of our future stakeholders” Shiva Dustdar, Head of the EIB Institute, told the students. “It is thanks to the ideas and suggestions from previous cohorts that our programme has constantly evolved, mirroring changes outside the EIB Group by bringing more diverse voices into the conversation”.
During two weeks in Luxembourg, participants followed interactive lectures and seminars by EIB Group (EIB and EIF) staff on how the EIB is transforming itself into the EU’s climate bank by implementing its Climate Bank Roadmap to support €1 trillion of investments in climate action and environmental sustainability in the critical decade from 2021 to 2030; dedicate 50% of its financing to climate action and environmental sustainability operations in 2025 -a goal already reached in 2022 and 2023- and to align all its financing activities with the principles and goals of the Paris agreement.
The EIB Summer School offers young graduates from the finest Master’s programmes an intensive two week immersion into the EIB Group (EIB, EIF, EIB Global, EIB Institute). It is organised every year in June/July in Luxembourg by the Institute. All courses and seminars are taught by EIB Group staff members.
The Summer School also includes social activities and high level visits to other EU institutions (ESM, Court of Justice and Court of Auditors).
This fifth edition welcomed students from four new universities University of Crete, University of Economics in Bratislava, University of Szeged (Hungary) and University of Warsaw. They joined students from the College of Europe – Bruges and Natolin, ESADE Barcelona, London School of Economics, Prague University of Economics and Business, Sciences Po, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Stockholm School of Economics, TU Dresden, Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, University of Bucharest, University of Coimbra, University of Helsinki, University of Latvia, University of Ljubljana, University of Luxembourg, University of Vienna and VU Amsterdam.
