The European Investment Bank plans to increase support for the EU's economically weaker regions while focusing on the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Many of the poorest European regions, which are vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate, could be directly and negatively affected by the economic changes expected during the EU's transition to a green, net-zero and digital economy. For instance, the rise in already high air temperatures in the south (Spain, Greece, Italy) may impact agriculture and increase the intensity and frequency of natural disasters, as seen this year with forest fires and the subsequent drought periods. Another example: moving away from the use of coal in industry and heating, which is crucial for reducing emissions, could seriously affect those regions in the east of the EU that still actively use coal, such as Poland and Bulgaria.