Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank The Global Gateway
Date: 2021-12-01
Institutions: Directorate-General for International Partnerships, European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, climate change policy, education, health care system, international cooperation, investment, renewable energy, third country, transmission network, transport infrastructure

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNION FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY Brussels, 1.12.2021  JOIN(2021) 30 final  Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank The Global Gateway  
 
 
1.  Introduction  

The Global Gateway 

Democracies  –  and  the  values  that  underpin  them  -  must  demonstrate  their  ability  to 
deliver on today’s global challenges. They must have the capacity and the ambition needed 
to help improve people’s lives around the world. This reality is brought into sharp focus by the 
ever-growing necessity for countries to invest and develop the infrastructure they need to create 
sustainable prosperity, jobs and services for their local communities.  

This global need for infrastructure not only holds the key for sustainable development across 
the  world  but  is  a  crucial  part  of  the  puzzle  for  fighting  climate  change  and  protecting  the 
environment, improving global health security and boosting the competitiveness of the world 
economy.  The  impact  of  today’s  incomplete,  incompatible  or  disconnected  global 
infrastructure  was  harshly  exposed  during  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  whether  through  the 
economic  impact  and  isolation  caused  by  the  lack  of  digital  connectivity,  the  disruption  to 
supply chains or the scarcity of medical goods. But while the pandemic accelerated the need 
for action, the gap in investment and the scale of global needs long predate it. According to 
G20 estimates, the global infrastructure investment deficit will reach €13 trillion by 2040.1 
If we take into account the further infrastructure investment needed to limit climate change and 
environmental degradation, that figure then jumps to €1.3 trillion every year.2 

Faced  with  this  urgent  need  for  major  financing,  countries  need  a  positive  offer  when 
deciding how best to develop their climate, energy, transport and digital infrastructure or how 
to strengthen their health or education systems. These choices have a real impact on the lives 
and livelihoods of their citizens. This is why they need a trusted partner to design projects that 
are  sustainable  and  of  high  quality,  and  implemented  with  high  levels  of  transparency  and 
standards in order to deliver lasting social and economic benefits for local communities.  

The EU will offer its financing under fair and favourable terms in order to limit the risk of debt 
distress.  It will help build sustainable infrastructure with the support, skills and the finance 
needed  to  operate  it.  Without  proper  transparency,  good  governance  and  high  standards 
projects can be badly chosen or designed, left incomplete or be used to fuel corruption. This 
not only stunts growth and deprives local communities but it ultimately creates dependencies, 
which can limit countries’ ability to make decisions.  

Given  the  global  nature  of  this  challenge,  the  EU  needs  to  provide  a  positive  offer  for  its 
partners.  Global  Gateway  is  that  positive  offer:  an  EU  plan  for  major  investment  in 
infrastructure  development  around  the  world.  It  aims  to  forge  links  and  not  create 
dependencies. To invest in projects that can be delivered with high standards, good governance 
and transparency. To work with host countries, financial institutions and the private sector to 
scale  up  infrastructure  investment  to  boost  our  competitiveness,  deliver  benefits  and 
protections  for  our  partners,  empower  local  communities  and  tackle  today’s  most  pressing 
global challenges - from climate change and sustainable development to health security, gender 
equality and education systems.  

To  deliver  on  this,  Global  Gateway  will  work  around  the  world,  adapting  to  the  needs  and 
strategic interests of different regions, while remaining values-driven. It will focus on physical 
infrastructure – such as fibre optic cables, clean transport corridors, clean power transmission 

1 The Global Infrastructure Hub: https://outlook.gihub.org/  
2 Rozenberg, Julie; Fay, Marianne. 2019. Beyond the Gap: How Countries Can Afford the Infrastructure They 
Need while Protecting the Planet. Washington, DC: World Bank.  

1 

 
 
                                                 
lines - to strengthen digital, transport and energy networks. It will also provide an enabling 
environment to make sure projects deliver, by offering attractive investment and business-
friendly trading conditions, regulatory convergence, standardisation, supply chain integration, 
and financial services. 

We are facing a new scientific and production revolution brought by the need to fight climate 
change and respond to health threats, as well as by the digital transformation. These changes 
bring  additional  challenges  to  development  efforts,  but  also  offer  new  opportunities.  In 
assisting  others,  the  EU  will  also  be  contributing  to  the  promotion  of  its  own  interests,  to 
strengthening the resilience of its supply chains, and to opening up more trade opportunities 
for the EU economy, in which approximately 38 million jobs are dependent on international 
trade. 

Building the necessary reach and creating benefits from infrastructure development at home 
and  around  the  world  will  require  investment  at  scale.  Using  all  of  the  financial  and 
development  tools  at  the  EU’s  disposal  and  supported  by  the  strong  commitment  from  EU 
Member States3, Global Gateway will aim at mobilising investments of up to €300 billion 
between  2021  and  2027.  It  will  do  so  under  one  brand,  taking  a  Team  Europe  approach  - 
bringing  together  resources  of  the  EU,  Member  States,  European  financial  institutions  and 
national  development  finance  institutions.  It  will  actively  seek  to  mobilise  private  sector 
finance and expertise and support access to sustainable finance. 

With Global Gateway, Europe will play its full part in narrowing the global investment gap. 
But  meeting  this  objective  will  require  the  concerted  effort  of  like-minded  partners.  In  this 
spirit, Global Gateway will dovetail with the work started within the G7 and mutually reinforce 
initiatives such as the Build Back Better World. This commitment to working together was 
reaffirmed at COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, where the EU and 
the United States brought together like-minded partners to express their shared commitment to 
addressing climate crisis through the development of infrastructure that is clean, resilient, and 
consistent with a net-zero future.4 

Global Gateway builds on the achievements of the 2018 EU-Asia Connectivity Strategy, the 
recently concluded Connectivity Partnerships with Japan and India, as well as the Economic 
and  Investment  Plan  for  the  Western  Balkans5,  the  Eastern  Partnership6,  and  the  Southern 
Neighbourhood 7 .  It  is  fully  aligned  with  the  UN’s  2030  Agenda  and  its  Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs), and the Paris Agreement. By offering a positive choice for global 
infrastructure  development,  Global  Gateway  will  invest  in  international  stability  and 
cooperation and demonstrate how democratic values offer certainty and fairness for investors, 
sustainability for partners and long-term benefits for people around the world.  

3 Council Conclusions 10629/21 ‘A Globally Connected Europe’ of 12 July 2021. 
4 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_21_5767  
5 Communication ‘An Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans’ COM(2020) 641 final. 
6 Joint Communication ‘Reinforcing Resilience: an Eastern Partnership that delivers for all’, JOIN(2020) 7 final 
and Joint Staff Working Document ‘Recovery, resilience and reform: post 2020 Eastern Partnership priorities,’ 
SWD(2021) 186 final. 
7  Joint  Communication  ‘Renewed  partnership  with  the  Southern  Neighbourhood:  A  new  Agenda  for  the 
Mediterranean’, JOIN(2021) 2 final, and Joint Staff Working Document ‘Renewed Partnership with the Southern 
Neighbourhood Economic and Investment Plan for the Southern Neighbours’ SWD(2021) 23 final. 

2 

 
 
                                                 
The Global Gateway approach 

Global Gateway will channel EU spending on global infrastructure development in accordance 
with the following key principles: 
Democratic values and high standards 

Global Gateway will offer a values-based option for partner countries to choose from when 
deciding how to meet their infrastructure development needs. This means adhering to the rule 
of law, upholding high standards of human, social, and workers’ rights and respecting norms 
from international rules and standards to intellectual property. It means selecting investments 
that are sustainable – for local people, local environment and local economies. It means taking 
an ethical approach so that infrastructure projects do not create unsustainable debt or unwanted 
dependencies.  

Good Governance and Transparency 

Delivering projects that work for people will require transparency, accountability and financial 
sustainability.  It  will  need  open  access  to  public  procurement  and  a  level  playing  field  for 
potential investors and a clear set of agreed deliverables to ensure that Global Gateway projects 
say what they will deliver - and deliver what they promise. Those most affected by potential 
projects – local communities, businesses and partners – must have their full say through proper 
public consultations and civil society involvement. Projects should ensure affordable and equal 
access to the services and benefits they will deliver, notably for women and girls and those at 
risk of disadvantage or exclusion.  

Equal partnerships 

Global Gateway projects will be designed, developed and implemented in close cooperation 
and consultation with partner countries. Infrastructure projects will be based on the needs and 
opportunities that they identify for their local economies and local communities, as well as the 
EU’s own strategic interests. This means developing partnerships with countries at eyes-level 
and ensuring that project planning takes into account the capacity of host countries to manage 
and maintain the infrastructure in a sustainable way after it has been completed.  

Green and clean  

The  Global  Gateway  is  a  climate-neutral  strategy to  speed  up  sustainable  development  and 
recovery, create inclusive growth and jobs and transition to a cleaner and more circular global 
economy.  It  will  invest  in  developing  infrastructures  that  are  clean,  climate-resilient  and 
aligned with pathways towards net zero emissions. Projects will live up to the European Green 
Deal  oath  to  ‘do  no  harm’  and  ensure  the  use  of  environmental  impact  assessments  and 
strategic environmental assessments.  

Security-focused 

Secure infrastructure underpins the resilience of global economy and supply chains– be it on 
digital,  health,  transport  or  energy.  Global  Gateway  projects  will  invest  in  infrastructure  to 
plug vulnerabilities, provide trusted connectivity, and build capacity in the face of natural or 
man-made  challenges,  physical,  cyber  or  hybrid  threats,  and  economic  coercion  for 
geopolitical aims. They will ensure that citizens are shielded from unwarranted surveillance 
by public authorities or private companies.  

Catalysing private sector investment 

Europe’s world-leading industry, private sector knowledge and investment capacity gives us a 
unique competitive advantage around the world and Global Gateway must make full use of it 
in order to be a viable and attractive alternative for partner countries. The Global Gateway will 

3 

 
combine  and  leverage  resources  from  the  EU,  its  Member  States,  financial  institutions  and 
Multilateral Public Finance, and use these public resources to crowd-in private capital.  

2.  Global Gateway investment priorities  

Global  Gateway  will  strengthen  the  people-to-people  connections  between  Europe  and  its 
partners  and  will  channel  its  investments  where  infrastructure  gaps  have  been  exposed  or 
exacerbated in recent years. These areas often hold the key to tackling our most pressing global 
challenges and investments there provide the greatest benefits to people in the medium and 
long-term. 

Investments in the digitalisation, health, climate and energy and transport sectors, as well as in 
education  and  research  will  be  a  priority.  Equally,  improving  the  quality  and  quantity  of 
infrastructure  and  the  enabling  environment  in  beneficiary  countries  and  regions  are  key 
priorities. Global Gateway will ensure that the benefits of investment are fairly and equally 
accessible. In this spirit, we will guarantee that projects and investments be inclusive, notably 
in terms of gender equality.  

2.1 Digital 

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the importance of access to secure and trustworthy 
digital infrastructures and technologies underpinned by proper regulation. As global internet 
traffic is expected to grow more than six-fold by 2030, broadband connectivity will become 
will become a necessity in the transition toward a data-driven economy and society.  

The EU will work with partner countries to deploy digital networks and infrastructures 
such  as  submarine  and  terrestrial  fibre-optic  cables,  space-based  secure  communication 
systems as well as cloud and data infrastructures, which together provide a basis for exchanges 
of  data,  cooperation  in  high  performance  computing,  Artificial  Intelligence  (AI),  and  earth 
observation. We will prioritise underserved regions, countries and populations, with the aim of 
tackling  the  global  digital  divide  and  strengthening  secure  and  trusted  digital  connections 
within  them  and  between  Europe  and  the  world.  The  EU  will  minimize  the  environmental 
footprint of digital infrastructure, by promoting green data centres and deploying underwater 
cables equipped with ocean monitoring sensors. 

The  EU  toolbox  for  the  cybersecurity  of  5G  networks  will  guide  investments  in  digital 
infrastructure. These will also be linked with standards and protocols that support network 
security and resilience, interoperability, and an open, plural and secure internet. The EU 
will also promote access to the Open Internet, given its role as a key driver of innovation, socio-
political, economic, and cultural development.  

The  EU  will  offer  digital  economy  packages8 that  combine  infrastructure  investments  with 
country-level assistance on ensuring the protection of personal data, cybersecurity and the right 
to privacy, trustworthy AI, as well as fair and open digital markets. For instance, the EU will 
build on the global trend towards convergence with the General Data Protection Regulation 
(GDPR) to inspire other countries to promote secure date flows. Global Gateways will promote 

8 Communication from the Commission, ‘2030 Digital Compass: the European way for the Digital Decade’, 
9.3.2021, COM(2021) 118 final. 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
EU  regulatory  model  of  open  and  competitive  markets  for  communications  networks  and 
services. 

Global Gateway on the ground 

Through a submarine cable between the EU and Latin America and a terrestrial backbone 
between South American countries, amounting together to a 35,000 km long high-speed fibre 
optic network, the BELLA programme provides a digital highway to boost investment and 
research  collaboration.  The  total  grant  funding  amounts  to  approximately  €53  million, 
including €26.5 million provided by the EU. Through Global Gateway, the EU will extend 
the BELLA programme to the rest of the Latin American continent, with an additional €15 
million  intended  to  leverage  funding  from  partner  countries.  BELLA  will  ensure  that  the 
required connectivity is in place for the next 25 years to meet the ever-increasing needs of 
research and education bi-regional cooperation. It will include the provision of high-speed 
and reliable access to the planned regional EU Copernicus Emergency Management Services 
Centre  in  Panama,  enabling  the  tackling  of  climate  emergencies.  Building  on  BELLA’s 
success, the EU is committed to step up its partnership with the region through the EU-LAC 
Digital Alliance, as well as to promote regulatory convergence and international cooperation 
in the area of data protection. 

2.2 Climate and energy 

Affordable and reliable access to energy and raw materials is a prerequisite for economies to 
function and industries to be  competitive.  The energy sector  also accounts for over 70% of 
global greenhouse gas emissions and its transition to cleaner energy will play a vital role in 
averting the destructive effects of climate change. The EU is committed to become the first 
climate-neutral continent by 2050. At the recent COP26, under the Glasgow Climate Pact, 
the  world  collectively  committed  to  reducing  global  carbon  dioxide  emissions  to  net  zero 
around mid-century. 

The impact of climate change and degradation of biodiversity disproportionately affects the 
poorest  and  most  vulnerable  in  the  world,  especially  in  low  and  middle-income  countries. 
Investing in both mitigation and climate resilience in those countries is not only a necessity 
for food, health, human security, and for protection against the impacts of climate change but 
also  presents  a  major  economic  opportunity.  To  ensure  those  investments  make  a  real 
difference, infrastructure must be designed to respond to the current risks and future threats 
and be built to standards that will stimulate low or zero emissions and withstand the impact 
they will have.  

These  infrastructure  investments  and  supporting  regulation  will  pave  the  way  for  the 
clean energy transition. Together they provide a unique opportunity to transform economies, 
create employment and strengthen energy security. We will cooperate with partner countries 
to enable their just energy transition and to diversify our clean energy supply at the same time. 
We will support regional energy integration, based on interconnection and joint projects such 
as offshore wind farms in coastal regions, and promote energy efficiency, renewable energy 
(including smart grids) and just transition.  

We  will  work  with  partner  countries  that  have  the  potential  to  develop  their  renewable 
hydrogen production, and promote the creation of competitive markets to enable such hydrogen 
produced  outside  the  EU  to  be  traded  internationally  without  export  restrictions  or  price 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
distortions. We will also work with partner countries to invest in infrastructure for developing 
sustainable and resilient raw materials value chains.  

Global Gateway on the ground 

The EU will mobilise €2.4 billion grants for Sub-Saharan Africa and € 1.08 billion for North 
Africa to support renewable energy, energy efficiency, the just transition and the greening of 
local value chains, and will join forces with initiatives such as Power Africa. It will help 
develop  the  renewable  hydrogen  sector  by  unlocking  business  opportunities  in  both  the 
supply and demand side for energy intensive industries. The deployment of the Africa-EU 
Green  Energy  Initiative  will  contribute  to  the  development  and  integration  of  regional 
energy  markets  and  the  implementation  of  a  strong  continental  Africa  Single  Electricity 
Market. 

2.3 Transport 

Transport networks are a critical enabler of prosperous economies and societies. They connect 
us to our partners and enable international trade. Equally, transportation is a key sector in the 
fight against climate change and the development and introduction of digital technologies.  

Global Gateway will promote worldwide infrastructure investments that create sustainable, 
smart, resilient, inclusive, and safe transport networks in all modes of transport, including 
rail, road, ports, airports, as well as logistics and border-crossing points, and bring these modes 
together  in  a  multimodal  system.  We  will  implement  transport  infrastructure  projects  that 
foster the sustainable development of partner countries and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 
as well as enable the diversification of their supply chains. We will also seek to build on our 
position as the world’s transportation hub. 

Global Gateway on the ground 

The EU will provide additional € 4.6 billion to enhance sustainable transport connections, 
in  line  with  the  green  and  digital  transformation  Having  successfully  extended  the  EU’s 
Trans-European  Transport  Network  (TEN-T)  to  the  Western  Balkans,  Turkey,  and  the 
Eastern  Partnership  region,  the  EU  will  continue  to  work  towards  completing  the  jointly 
agreed priority infrastructure and will engage actively with partners on the adoption of the 
Trans-Mediterranean Transport Network (TMN-T) in the Southern Neighbourhood. The EU 
will  promote  the  strengthening  of  connections  with  adjacent  strategic  corridors  in  Sub-
Saharan Africa and Central Asia, advance the regulatory environment and promote EU and 
international standards.  

Global  Gateway  will  foster  convergence  with  European  or  international  technical,  social, 
environmental and competition standards, reciprocity in market access and a level playing field 
in the area of transport infrastructure planning and development. It will serve to enhance the 
recharging  and  refuelling  infrastructure  for  zero-emission  vehicles  and  foster  the  supply  of 
renewable and low-carbon fuels. It will serve to strengthen aviation and maritime links with 
key  partners,  while  also  setting  new  standards  to  enhance  environmental  and  social 
sustainability, create fair competition and reduce emissions in those sectors.  

2.4 Health 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  pandemic  has  revealed  weaknesses  of  healthcare  systems  and  the  fragility  of 
pharmaceutical  supply  chains.  It  has  also  highlighted  the  wide  discrepancy  in  medical 
manufacturing  capacities  around  the  world.  Africa,  for  instance,  still  imports  99%  of  its 
vaccines.  Nevertheless,  health  issues  extend  far  beyond  the  pandemic.  There  are  an 
estimated  8.6  million  deaths  in  low-  and  middle-income  countries  each  year  from  treatable 
conditions including vaccine-preventable diseases, maternal disorders and road injuries.9  

Global  Gateway  will  prioritise  the  security  of  supply  chains  and  the  development  of  local 
manufacturing. As regards the security of supply chains, the EU will be working with partner 
countries  to  diversify  their  pharmaceutical  supply  chains.  The  Health  and  Emergency 
Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) will also contribute to addressing international 
supply chain bottlenecks. 

Continents must be able to manufacture their own vaccines. The EU is committed to preventing 
future  health  emergencies  by  strengthening  capacities  throughout  the  world.  This  includes 
building manufacturing capacities in third countries.  

HERA will establish a close collaboration with global partners to reinforce global surveillance, 
to  facilitate  international  cooperation  and  support  for  medical  countermeasures  in  case  of  a 
health emergency, to support low- and middle-income countries to build expertise and develop 
manufacturing  and  distribution  capacities  and  to  support  access  to  EU-funded  medical 
countermeasures. 

Global  Gateway  will  also  facilitate  investment  in  sustainable  infrastructure  and  regulatory 
environment for the local production of medicine and medical technologies, which in turn will 
help  integrate  the  current  fragmented  markets  and  promote  research  and  cross-border 
innovation  in  healthcare;  thereby  helping  us  to  overcome  diseases  such  as  COVID-19, 
malaria, yellow fever, tuberculosis or HIV/AIDS.  

The  European  Centre  for  Disease  Prevention  and  Control  (ECDC)  will  contribute  to 
strengthening the capacities of Africa  Centres  for Disease Control and  Prevention (Africa 
CDC)  in  terms  of  preparedness  and  response  to  health  threats.  Building  on  existing 
partnerships, this cooperation will also contribute to facilitating harmonised surveillance and 
disease intelligence of prioritised outbreak-prone communicable diseases at continental level, 
and supporting the implementation of Africa CDC’s public health workforce development 
strategy. 

2.5 Education and research  

Education  is  critical  for  equitable  and  inclusive  societies  and  for  their  long-term  economic 
success. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in education systems worldwide. 
Education budgets in developing countries are often insufficient while the number of students 
is growing. The number of students in the world is estimated to triple in the next two decades. 

9 Kruk, Margaret E.; Gage, Anna D.; Joseph, Naima T.; Danaei, Goodarz; García-Saisó, Sebastián; Salomon, 
Joshua A., Mortality due to low-quality health systems in the universal health coverage era: a systematic 
analysis of amenable deaths in 137 countries, The Lancet 392.10160 (2018), pp. 2203-2212, 
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31668-4. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
 
The EU will invest in quality education, including digital education, with a life-long learning 
perspective,  paying  particular  attention  to  the  inclusion  of  girls  and  women  and  other 
vulnerable groups that often show lower school attendance. We will assist partner countries to 
transform their education systems and address deficits in teaching, training, and learning at all 
levels.  

We  will  also  facilitate  mobility  of  students,  staff,  teachers,  and  trainees,  and  strengthen 
networks  and  peer  learning  across  higher  education  institutions.  The  extended  Erasmus+ 
programme opens such opportunities for people from all over the world. 

The Erasmus+ programme has a strong international dimension. It reinforces mobility and 
exchanges between the European Education Area and partner countries, by developing more 
inclusive and sustainable education systems, and by increasing management and governance 
capacities at all levels of the education sector. The total amount allocated for the period 2014-
2020 was € 1.8billion. The international arm of Erasmus+ 2021-2027 will be scaled-up with 
a total funding of € 2.2 billion coming from EU's external instruments in order to reinforce 
the European offer of mobility and cooperation in education, training, youth and sport around 
the world.  

The EU will work with partner countries to strengthen cooperation on research and innovation.  

Horizon  Europe,  the  world’s  biggest  publically  funded  multilateral  research  and  innovation 
programme, offers researchers and innovators outside Europe the opportunity to participate in 
EU-funded collaborative research and innovation actions, mobility schemes and multilateral 
Research  &  Innovation  partnerships.  The  Horizon  Europe  programme  now  offers  the 
possibility  to  associate  countries  located  anywhere  in  the  world,  which  share  fundamental 
values  and  a  strong  science,  technology  and  innovation  profile.  The  Commission  will  also 
explore possibilities for connecting business incubators and innovators worldwide. 

3.  The Global Gateway investment and delivery model 

To  meet  the  scale  of  investment  needed,  Global  Gateway  will  mobilise  more  and  better 
investments  in  international  infrastructure.  This  requires  a  new  and  innovative  approach  to 
financing and an upgrade of our existing tool kit. Global Gateway will rely on de-risking 
instruments, such as guarantees and blending to draw on the combined resources from both 
the public and the private sectors. Financial tools will be combined with operational tools 
such as technical assistance, policy and economic dialogue, trade and investment agreements 
and standardisation, in order to help create better conditions for quality investments. 

3.1 Scaling up investment 

Global Gateway – The finances 

Global  Gateway  aims 
to  mobilise 
to 300 billion in the years 2021-2027.  

This sum is composed of: 

infrastructure  development 

investments  of up 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
-  Up to €135 billion worth of investments made possible by the EFSD+, including a 
new initiative with the EIB that could bring €25 billion of additional investments10, 

-  Grant financing of up to €18 billion under other EU external assistance programmes,  

-  €145 billion of planned investment volumes by European financial and development 

finance institutions, 

-  The EU aims at coordinating better with its Member States to enhance its strategic 
role  in  the  boards  of  the  Multilateral  Development  Banks  (MDBs)  in  support  of 
Global Gateway projects. 

The EU expects to increase budget spending on infrastructure in third countries. In the years 
between  2014  and  2020,  the  EU  invested  14%  of  its  external  budget  –  €9.62  billion  –  on 
connectivity  projects.  Under  the  2021-2027  budget  cycle,  this  sum  will  likely  increase 
significantly.  The  Neighbourhood,  Development  and  International  Cooperation  Instrument 
(NDICI) - Global Europe, which finances cooperation with third countries, has a total budget 
of €79 billion and a spending target of 35% for climate actions. In addition, approximately 10% 
of the NDICI funding will be dedicated to digital actions.  

We will also use innovative financial instruments to crowd-in private capital. The NDICI-
Global Europe establishes the Union’s guarantee capacity of up to €53.4 billion. The EU can 
also  leverage  private  investments  by  means  of  its  Instrument  for  Pre-Accession  Assistance 
(IPA) III, Interreg, InvestEU and the EU research and innovation programme Horizon Europe. 
The European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) will be our main financial 
tool for mobilising investments under Global Gateway. The guarantees it provides will be used 
for  de-risking  activities  and  leveraging  of  private  investment,  working  together  with  the 
European Investment Bank and other European financial institutions including, for example, 
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. 

Further  adding  to  its  financial  tool  kit,  the  EU is exploring the  possibility  of  establishing 
a European Export Credit Facility to complement the existing export credit arrangements at 
Member State level and increase the EU’s overall firepower in this area. The Facility would 
help ensure a more level playing field for EU businesses in third country markets, where they 
increasingly have  to compete  with  foreign  competitors  that  receive  large  support  from  their 
governments, and thus facilitate their participation in infrastructure projects. 

 Financing Global Gateway through the EFSD+ 

10 The Commission is proposing a new Global Gateway initiative to cater for a significant increase in investments 
funded from the EU Budget. It is offering to make available an additional €750 million over the period 2022-2027 
in annual tranches, conditional on the EIB matching these  funds as per the  appropriate arrangements and the 
implementation  of  these  projects  progressing  as  planned.  To  this  end,  work  on  identifying  and  assessing  the 
projects needs to be taken forward urgently. The Commission proposes to evaluate this in 2024 with a view to 
enlarging the budget when appropriate. 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
 
The EFSD+ in an innovative instrument that will help generate investments in a variety of 
Global  Gateway  sectors  through  its  guarantee  capacity  and  blending  grants.  It  makes 
available €40 billion in guarantee capacity. 

Guarantees 

The EFSD+ guarantees are offered on favourable, highly competitive conditions. They allow 
private investors to finance projects in more challenging markets, by assuming the risks of 
more unstable environments while avoiding market distortions. 

Because the EFSD+ covers a share of the risks, the Union’s development finance partners 
can  match  the  EFSD+  guarantees  with  their  own  resources,  which  in  turn  will  attract 
additional  investors.  The  investment  programmes  will  be  implemented  through  two  main 
paths: 

  In a partnership with the EIB, the EU will provide a guarantee covering €26.7 
billion in financing to support investments in several sectors such as clean energy, 
green  infrastructure  and  health  for  which  the  EIB  has  already  a  strong  record  of 
accomplishments under the previous External Lending Mandate. The risk coverage 
provided will allow the EIB to offer loans to partner countries to make sustainable 
investments in connectivity and other priority sectors. The Union guarantee will have 
a maximum impact on Global Gateway investments in those partner countries where 
sovereign and other public sector risks are still a major bottleneck. The partnership 
approach under EFSD+ will ensure a strong steer in line with the Global Gateway 
priorities,  promoting  synergies  and  complementarity  with  all  areas  of  EU  external 
action. 

  As one of the sectoral windows of the EFSD+ Open Architecture (€13 billion), the 
Commission will propose a specific Global Gateway window, which, together with 
other  thematic  windows  such  as  the  Sustainable  Finance  window,  will  focus  on 
sectors like sustainable energy, clean transport and digital. A dedicated sub-window 
will  be  created  for  digital  connectivity  with  a  country  level  approach  to  reinforce 
convergence  with  the  EU’s  digital  economy  packages.  Working  with  a  variety  of 
European financial institutions will allow to fully reap the wealth of geographic and 
sectoral  expertise  available  in  those  institutions  to  unlock  investment  bottlenecks 
faced by the private sector in host countries.  

Blending 

  Where projects have a public added value that is not monetarised and that guarantees 
cannot address, the EU will use the EFSD+ blending facilities. These facilities make 
use of grants and loans to support non-bankable investment projects in EU partner 
countries  while  enhancing  their  sustainability,  climate-proofing  and  development 
impact.  

Financing  supported  by  EFSD+  will  rely  on  systematic  mechanisms  to  filter  out 
abnormally low tenders, which put in danger the actual implementation of the projects or 
the principles of the Global Gateway, and foreign subsidies that undermine the level playing 
field. Attention will also be paid to ensuring that trade and investment is not distorted when 
the EU finances projects in third countries. The EU’s development finance partners should 
adhere to procurement standards similar to those applicable in the EU.  

Where EFSD+ will have to be deployed due to an unfavourable regulatory environment or 
externalities not reflected in market prices (e.g. CO2 emissions), the EU will work with the 

10 

 
partner country  to  address these underlying deficiencies.  This should reduce the partner 
country’s dependence on future external assistance. 

3.2 An investment-friendly environment 

An enabling environment plays a key role in mobilising increased infrastructure investments 
that also  meet  high technical,  competition,  environmental,  social and  governance standards. 
The EU will use its various tools to improve conditions for attracting quality investments in 
partner countries. This will include working on different tracks: 

  Strengthening  domestic  resource  mobilisation,  public  finance  management  and 

debt management, and improving debt sustainability; 

  Facilitating reforms in partner countries to establish transparent, non-discriminatory, 
and  sustainable  regulatory  frameworks  aligned  with  international  standards, 
and building their capacity to enforce compliance with legal obligations; 

 

Improving  the  flow  of  sustainable  finance,  by  promoting  relevant  taxonomies, 
standards and disclosures. The Commission is developing a comprehensive strategy to 
scale up access to sustainable finance in low and middle-income countries; 

  Enhancing the capacity of partner countries to develop infrastructure plans and prepare 
credible pipelines of projects aligned with national development strategies and needs; 

  Encouraging adherence to international standards for infrastructure spending by 

other bilateral and multilateral finance providers. 

  Actively participating in relevant international standard-setting bodies.  

Better infrastructure spending - the EU will: 

-  Promote  the  use  of  multilateral  tools  such  as  the  IMF’s  Public  Investment 
Management  Assessment  (PIMA)  framework,  the  OECD’s  Methodology  for 
Assessing  Procurement  Systems  (MAPS)  and  the  IMF/World  Bank’s  PPP  Fiscal 
Risk  Assessment  Model  (PFRAM)  to  improve  project  preparation  and  ensure 
value for money in infrastructure. 

-  Provide technical assistance for capacity building and technical studies in partner 
countries,  through  NDICI-Global  Europe  programmes  and  the  Technical  Support 
Instrument  for  EU  Member  States,  which  enables  knowledge  sharing  between 
national administrations under programmes such as TAIEX. 

-  Promote  the  implementation  of  the  G20  Principles  for  Quality  Infrastructure 

Investments at the international level. 

4.  Coordinating efforts with like-minded partners 

In  implementing  Global  Gateway,  the  EU  will  work  closely  with  like-minded  partners  to 
develop synergies between their respective efforts on connectivity and quality infrastructure 
with third countries and achieve the maximum impact in closing the global infrastructure gap. 
This  cooperation  will  extend  to  all  aspects  of  our  work,  including  coordination  of  policies, 
collaboration  on  and  co-financing  of  joint  or  parallel  projects,  joint  engagement  with  host 
countries,  the  private  sector  and  international  financial  institutions,  and  cooperation  in  the 
context of relevant international standard setting forums. 

11 

 
 
 
 
The G7 already has in place a great number of initiatives that support sustainable infrastructure 
in partner countries. The EU is fully committed to the step change in infrastructure funding 
that G7 Leaders committed to at the Carbis Bay Summit in June 2021, and plays an active 
role in putting this ambition into practice. The EU sees this as a long term partnership that will 
remain open for others to join. 

The EU has already concluded Connectivity Partnerships with Japan and India. It also intends 
to  pursue  a  connectivity  partnership  with  the  Association  of  Southeast  Asian  Nations 
(ASEAN),  building  on  the  2020  Ministerial  Declaration.  Earlier  this  year,  the  EU  and  the 
United  States  launched  the  Trade  and  Technology  Council,  where  the  parties  are  also 
cooperating to promote secure and sustainable international digital connectivity. The EU will 
seek further collaboration with the US, as well as with Canada, the Republic of Korea and other 
like-minded partners.  

To bring this up the political agenda, the European Union will make Global Gateway a priority 
for multilateral, and where relevant, bilateral summits with our international partners, starting 
with the upcoming EU-Eastern Partnership Summit, followed by the EU-African Union 
Summit. It will also integrate the principles of Global Gateway into its existing cooperation 
on connectivity with partner regions, organisations and countries.  

5.  Governance and communication 

Global Gateway projects will be developed and delivered through Team Europe Initiatives. 
The EU institutions, Member  States,  and European financial  institutions will work  together 
with European businesses as well as governments, civil society and the private sector in partner 
countries.  

The implementation of the Global Gateway will be taken forward under the overall steer of 
the President of the Commission by the High Representative/Vice President of the Commission 
and responsible Commissioners. In this context,  a Global Gateway  Board will be established 
to provide strategic guidance to this initiative, in particular in relation to the development of 
Team Europe projects.  

The Commission will set up a Business Advisory Group on the Global Gateway. This group 
will  ensure  private  sector  involvement,  be  easily  accessible  and  will  serve  to  discuss  the 
implementation of the Global Gateway strategy. It will receive input from business and share 
knowledge in order to maximise the impact and effectiveness of investment. This group will 
work  complementarily  and  without  prejudice  to  existing  business  support  organisations.  A 
dialogue will also be set up with civil society to ensure a fully inclusive approach is taken.  

To support this outreach, EU Delegations - working closely with EU Member States in a Team 
Europe approach - will play a key role in coordinating with all stakeholders on the ground and 
in reaching out to the partner countries, in order to identify projects, match them with financing, 
and follow up on implementation. This will be part of wider diplomatic efforts that will be 
undertaken  jointly  with  Member  States  to  promote  the  Global  Gateway  model  and  the 
economic, social and environmental benefits it brings about.  

The EU will launch an awareness raising campaign in partner countries to explain the Global 
Gateway  approach  to  citizens  and  to  institutional  stakeholders,  inviting  Member  States  and 
European financial institutions to join forces in this communication. The Commission will also 
set up a dedicated Global Gateway communication campaign within the EU during 2022. 

6.  Going forward 

12 

 
Global Gateway aims to combine the capital and expertise of Team Europe, its international 
partners and the private sector. It will be driven by the needs of our partner countries and the 
strategic  interests  of  the  European  Union.  In  this  spirit,  we  will  develop  Global  Gateway 
together with partner countries and invite the active participation of civil society as well as the 
local private sector in our exchanges. The EU will now reach out to other countries willing to 
partner  up.  We  will  also  engage  the  private  sector  to  unlock  its  capital,  expertise  and 
experience.  

Progress  in  the  implementation  of  the  Global  Gateway  will  be  regularly  and  proactively 
monitored,  evaluated  and  reported  on.  The  Strategy  will  be  adjusted  if  need  be.  The 
Commission and the High Representative are committed to the swift implementation of the 
Strategy and will keep the Council and Parliament closely informed. 

Building on  the successful Europa Connectivity  Forum in 2019 involving  some EU partner 
countries  and  key  stakeholders,  the  EU  will  host  regular  editions  of  the  Global  Gateway 
Forum. The Commission will organise a meeting with stakeholders in June 2022 to take 
stock of the progress made in the implementation of the Global Gateway and have a dialogue 
on next steps.  

13