The European Commission announced the allocation of €200 million to the Neighbourhood Investment Facility with the objective of leveraging investments from EU development banks. The planned investments will target energy and transport projects establishing infrastructure interconnections between the EU and neighbouring countries.

According to the European Commission, combining the EU grants with the loans from the development banks will allow a more competitive financing structures for many large projects in the countries of the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood. Therefore, the Commission decided to allocate €200 million to the Neighbourhood Investment Facility with the objective of leveraging investments from EU development banks. In July 2012, the EU already allocated extra funding for the Neighbourhood Investment Facility in 2012.

The Commission highlighted that the planned investments will target energy and transport projects establishing infrastructure interconnections between the EU and neighbouring countries and among neighbouring countries themselves, as well as projects addressing common climate change challenges and promoting growth and small businesses.

The Neighbourhood Investment Facility brings together grants from the European Commission and the EU Member States with loans from European public finance institutions, as well as contributions from the partner countries. It helps to support the EU's neighbours in carrying out necessary infrastructure projects.