The Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, held a meeting in Lviv with the Chief Executive Officer of EIB Global, Andrew McDowell. They discussed European Investment Bank investment in Ukraine’s reconstruction projects, the development of urban infrastructure and strengthening cooperation with the city.
EIB Global is a branch of the European Investment Bank responsible for financing and investment outside the European Union. The talks were joined by First Deputy Mayor Andriy Moskalenko, Deputy Mayor for International Cooperation Serhiy Kiral, Head of the Investment and Projects Department Andriy Pavliv, as well as Head of the EIB Regional Representation for Eastern Europe, Kristina Mikulova.
During the meeting, Andriy Sadovyi explained how Lviv is developing under the conditions of full-scale war, presented the city’s key infrastructure and social projects, and outlined potential avenues for further cooperation with the European Investment Bank. He highlighted positive changes in interaction with the Bank and expressed gratitude for its support of Ukraine and Lviv.
“Thank you for supporting Lviv and Ukraine. We have a good partnership with your Bank. Previously, it seemed to us that the Bank operated very slowly. Today we see a completely different approach – dynamic, rapid and energetic. And I am very pleased about this. We already have joint projects, but we also have many new ideas that we would like to implement together,” said Andriy Sadovyi.
A separate part of the discussion focused on the development of the UNBROKEN ecosystem in Lviv. The Mayor placed particular emphasis on the medical dimension, the importance of effective hospital management and investment in management capabilities. As part of this ecosystem, last year the UNBROKEN University was established, bringing together a medical school for postgraduate education and a school of municipal governance.
The school of municipal governance has already developed 12 educational programmes for Ukrainian communities. They cover veteran policy, economics, environmental issues and other priority areas for cities. The school also runs training for representatives of European municipalities, sharing Ukraine’s experience of resilience in wartime conditions.
Another key topic of the meeting was the development of Ukraine’s rail links with Europe. The parties discussed a study of a new transport model that envisages a transition to the European standard railway gauge. Preliminary estimates suggest that implementing such a large-scale project could require around EUR 10 billion in investment.
The Mayor of Lviv proposed organising a dedicated international conference with business representatives and the European Investment Bank to discuss opportunities for financing this project and attracting private capital.
EIB Global CEO Andrew McDowell thanked the city for the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Lviv, noting the city’s leadership role and its development despite the war. This is his first visit to Lviv. He also shared his impressions of the UNBROKEN ecosystem and the work of the hospital, stressing that the project could become an international centre of expertise in the physical and psychological rehabilitation of people with severe injuries.
Andrew McDowell further underlined the importance of maintaining international financial and economic support for Ukraine, particularly on the eve of another difficult winter and in the context of planning assistance programmes for 2027. He noted that EIB Global is interested in providing technical expertise for planning Lviv’s development as a transport hub that, after the war, will connect Ukraine with other European countries.
According to background information, the European Investment Bank supports the recovery and development of Ukraine by financing projects in critical, social and transport infrastructure, energy, water supply, housing and business. Under three recovery programmes totalling EUR 740 million, more than 150 Ukrainian communities are receiving support, with over 500 projects being implemented in total.
In addition, in January 2026 the EIB announced an investment of EUR 50 million in the Amber Dragon Ukraine Infrastructure Fund – an infrastructure fund aimed at rebuilding Ukraine and attracting private capital to develop energy, transport and digital infrastructure.