Largest Green Bond of 2022
The European Commission borrows funds from the capital markets to finance the EU’s policy priorities – from green and digital recovery to support for Ukraine. Since January 2023, the Commission issues single-branded EU-Bonds under its unified funding approach, similarly to large sovereign issuers. In addition, the Commission runs its landmark NextGenerationEU green bond programme. Under this programme, the Commission is due to issue around €250 billion of NextGenerationEU green bonds by 2026 and use the proceeds to finance green investments across the continent. Over €40 billion have been raised as of end-March 2023, including the world’s largest green bond of €12 billion, the inaugural NextGenerationEU green bond in October 2021.
“The EU’s flagship SURE and NextGenerationEU programmes – with its strong eco-social design - are a clear demonstration of the EU’s strong commitment to sustainable financing. They have also been instrumental for the evolution of the EU into one of the world’s largest issuers in euro. We are glad that for yet another year our commitment to sustainability is being recognised by the Climate Bonds Initiative, and we will continue to work for a greener and more socially fair Europe, including through sustainable funding.”
