Global Gateway and the New Investment Hub

Global Gateway is the EU’s flagship initiative for advancing major infrastructure projects in emerging markets. Since its launch at the end of 2021, both the initiative and the world around it have evolved considerably. Its focus spans five key sectors: digital, climate and energy, transport, health, education and research. As the European Commission puts it, the initiative promotes “smart investments in quality infrastructure, respecting the highest social and environmental standards, in line with the EU’s interests and values: rule of law, human rights and international norms and standards.”

Originally, the EU set a target of mobilizing €300 billion in infrastructure investments by 2027. As this goal has already been reached, the new target has been raised to €400 billion.

To streamline the initiation of Global Gateway projects and better involve European companies, the Commission established an Investment Hub last October. It functions as a coordination mechanism and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of various actors—from project origination to financing and implementation. In brief, the process works as follows.  

Usually, a company or other stakeholder begins with an idea for a project in a partner country. They submit a project description to the contact point at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (global.gateway@gov.fi). The MFA’s “Team National” reviews the proposal and, if needed, holds a sparring session with the company. Eligible projects typically start at €10 million. The member state is expected to contribute around 10% of the financing, either through financial instruments (such as loans or credits) or through in-kind support (such as technical assistance). The applicant company is expected to invest its own resources in the project. If Team National endorses the proposal, it is forwarded to the Investment Hub for further evaluation. In some cases, financial support can also be given to a customer of a European company in a partner country.

The Investment Hub assesses the proposal’s development impact and its alignment with EU strategic interests. Projects are expected to promote democratic values, high standards, good governance and transparency, equal partnerships, and green and sustainable practices. If the Hub grants the project Global Gateway status, the Commission presents it to financial institutions such as the European Investment Bank or the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as other potential financiers. This step is often crucial, as national financing may only cover an initial portion. In certain cases, European instruments—such as EFSD+ guarantees—can also be leveraged. The Investment Hub may additionally explore whether the proposed project could complement existing initiatives, thereby forming a broader project cluster.

Once a proposal has passed all stages of assessment and approval, implementation is led by the initiating company. At this point, local project sponsors, investors and clients are usually in place and the project can proceed. Given their scale and complexity, these projects typically involve multiple companies. For Finland, priority areas include digitalization, education, and climate and energy, including the increasingly important field of critical raw materials.  

A guiding principle of Global Gateway is its 360-degree approach. Rather than addressing isolated challenges, the initiative aims to develop comprehensive, sustainable solutions tailored to partners’ needs. Education offers a good example: constructing a school is valuable, but combining this with teacher training, curriculum development, and other systemic support creates a long-lasting, transformative impact. Support for this 360-degree approach can be applied already when seeking financial support through the Investment Hub. The actors implementing this 360-degree approach can be Finnish, like HAUS, or European, such as Enabel from Belgium, Expertise France from France or GIZ from Germany.

For further information on Global Gateway, please contact me and my team at global.gateway@gov.fi

Text: Roy Eriksson, Global Gateway Ambassador

Picture: Kimmo Räisänen