The European Commission has defined the first five investment areas of the new European Investment Plan (EIP), which will mobilise €44 billion of sustainable investment for Africa and the EU Neighbour countries. These already defined areas are “Sustainable Energy and Connectivity”, “Micro, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Financing”, “Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Entrepreneurs and Agribusiness”, “Sustainable Cities” and “Digital for Development”. This first step will be followed by a presentation of proposals of investments by eligible financial institutions, which will be evaluated and entrusted by the European Commission and external experts. The EIP is expected to leverage more than €44 billion of investments by 2020, with contributions from EU Member States, EFTA countries and other partners. After the approbation of the plan, the Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn commented: “The investment windows represent real opportunity for many people and businesses in partner countries and in the European Union”.