Across Europe, affordable housing depends on more than construction alone. It requires long‑term finance, clear rules, access to land and careful urban planning.

In this episode of Invested by Europe, we speak with Grzegorz Gajda, Senior Urban Specialist at the European Investment Bank, about what makes affordable housing work in practice. Drawing on experience from across Europe and beyond, the conversation looks at how governments, cities, investors and institutions can work together to increase supply, keep housing affordable and build sustainable urban communities.

The episode explores how long‑term funding mechanisms, effective regulation, land recycling and mixed‑use development can help deliver housing that people can afford — and cities that function better for everyone.

🎧 Invested by Europe is the European Investment Bank’s video podcast, exploring how Europe invests in its future — from housing and energy to innovation, infrastructure and social cohesion.

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Explore how innovation in construction materials, digital tools and industrialised processes could transform how Europe builds—and who works in construction.

The conversation looks at why construction has changed so little for decades and how technologies such as digital twins, Building Information Modelling (BIM), robotics and artificial intelligence are reshaping design, production and collaboration. Industrialised, factory-based construction offers major gains in precision, cost control, waste reduction and worker safety. That will make construction attractive to young people and help solve the industry’s labour shortage.

The episode argues for a life-cycle approach to buildings, from design and construction to operation and end-of-life reuse of materials. By combining innovation with circular thinking, Europe can deliver buildings that are both affordable and sustainable.

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Social investment shapes everyday life in Europe — from education and healthcare to childcare and housing. In this episode of Invested by Europe, we explore why investing in social infrastructure is not just about social protection, but a key driver of inclusive economic growth.

The podcast looks at how social investment helps more people participate in the labour market, boosts productivity and supports ageing societies. We examine gaps in childcare provision, the housing affordability challenge and Europe’s growing skills shortages — and why addressing them could significantly strengthen Europe’s economy.

The episode also explores how innovation, including digitalisation and artificial intelligence, can help deliver social services more efficiently, even as fiscal pressures rise.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Europe’s security environment is changing fast — and investment decisions made today will shape its resilience for decades. In this episode of Invested by Europe, we examine why security and defence is such an urgent priority and what European strategic autonomy means in practice.

The podcast explores how Europe is closing long-standing capability gaps through coordinated investment, joint procurement and new financing tools. Innovation emerges as a central theme, spanning areas such as cybersecurity, space, artificial intelligence and advanced electronics — many of them dual-use technologies with both civilian and military applications.

The episode also looks at the role of small and medium-sized enterprises, the importance of mobilising private investment alongside public funding, and how readiness depends on a broad ecosystem of technologies and suppliers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Explore why accelerating energy efficiency renovations is one of the fastest and most effective ways to cut energy demand, reduce emissions and lower energy bills.

The podcast looks at why renovation rates remain too low, what’s holding back households, businesses and cities, and how investment and public support can help unlock action. We also examine the role of digital tools and artificial intelligence in planning renovations and operating buildings more efficiently.

The episode explains how energy efficiency supports the rollout of renewable energy, improves comfort for citizens and delivers more predictable energy costs — and how the European Investment Bank helps scale up investment through financing and technical assistance.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we speak of the virtual world and storing things in ‘the cloud’, we seldom stop to realize that our digital climate impact is not virtual at all

Many people see digitalisation as this magical pixie dust that Tinker Bell sprinkles on old industries to make them all environmentally friendly. Stop printing newspapers and get your news online and suddenly your environmental footprint is down to zero, right?

Wrong.

In this episode of the Monster Under the Bed podcast we learn:

· What is the climate impact of the digital sector?

· What is Jevon’s paradox?

· What is the digital sector doing to clean up its act?

· That even when digital services use renewable energy, it might be using up renewable energy that otherwise might be used by more critical sources. So we should hold off on all those cat videos

· How can you personally curtail the CO2 emissions of our own use of technology?

My guests on this episode are the European Investment Bank’s head of division for digital infrastructure Harald Gruber and risk manager Shirley Rizk. They are but two of the many experts at the EU bank who are helping me challenge various rumours, myths, and misconceptions that we are trying to overturn on this series of podcasts.

Each episode features one ‘monster under the bed’ something that we are scared of, or mistakenly believe to be true. Check out our episodes on urbanisation, healthcare, education and much more.

Look up Monster Under the Bed on your phone’s podcast app, and click ‘Subscribe’ or ‘Follow’. This way you can sleep soundly without worrying about missing any episodes – and during the night Tinker Bell will sprinkle a new episodes into your phone for you!

Also, please rate and review us, and give us feedback – I’m @AllarTankler on Twitter.

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