The European Investment Bank: a new database (1958-2012)

Abstract

This working paper presents an originally compiled database of European Investment Bank (EIB) lending based on the EIB Annual Reports and documents available at the Historical Archives of the European Union, covering all loans over the period 1958 ? 2012. It describes the content of the database, which compiles more than 13,000 loans to 180 countries in a detailed project-by-project basis, the information sources utilized and the coding rules used to create an index of categories. It also includes the borrowings made by the EIB on the financial markets from 1961 to 2012 (with their respective term and nominal rate), exchange rates and subscribed capital. The paper compares the database with the information provided by the EIB webpage, provides descriptive statistics and discusses some possible applications. This database improves transparency and the understanding of the largest worldwide lender, contributing to close the existent gap within the literature concerning this public institution.