Green Assist: empowering sustainable investments across Europe

Green Assist is a pioneering initiative that supports and drives sustainable, green investments across Europe. With a focus on environmental finance, restoring degraded landscapes, and promoting nature-based solutions, Green Assist is currently engaged in three transformative projects. These initiatives aim to create lasting impact across various sectors and regions. 

Unlocking private capital for nature-based solutions

For Triodos Investment Management, Green Assist helps developing an innovative fund to channel private capital into projects that foster biodiversity. This groundbreaking initiative targets regenerative agriculture, sustainable forestry, and other nature-based solutions across EU countries. Despite strong commitments to green finance, investors often encounter challenges such as inconsistent project execution and the lack of standardised metrics.

That’s where Green Assist steps in. By providing expert advisory services, Green Assist is helping Triodos I.M. to refine the market strategy and the investment structure of the fund. 

Over the next five months, Green Assist will focus on designing financial models, building investor databases, and developing fiscal strategies to close the funding gap in nature-positive investments. This collaboration will enable sustainable practices in agriculture and forestry to be scaled effectively, promoting a more environmentally friendly approach to investing.

Restoring Spain’s degraded lands

In Spain, Green Assist is working with the Red de Restauración de Minas y Canteras (RMC) to restore degraded lands and promote ecological recovery. With over 3,000 active mines and countless abandoned sites in need of restoration in Spain, the RMC is tackling a significant environmental challenge and strives to ensure that the restoration efforts are carried out effectively and sustainably. 

Green Assist is partnering with the RMC to enhance its digital infrastructure to centralise best practices, create specialised training programmes, and develop clear environmental standards. 

Over the next year, this collaboration will foster knowledge exchange among experts and policymakers and lay the groundwork for Spain’s first major congress on mining restoration. Together, these efforts aim to strengthen restoration frameworks and boost stakeholder engagement, ultimately leading to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious approach to land management. 

Scaling nature-based solutions in the Danube River Basin

In the Danube River Basin, Green Assist is working with the World Wildlife Fund Romania to scale nature-based solutions and address climate risks. The region presents immense opportunities for nature-based solutions to address climate risks, improve water management, and strengthen local economies. The World Wildlife Fund Romania has identified several promising nature-based solution projects, but financial viability remains a key challenge. For these projects to succeed - and be replicated elsewhere - they need stronger economic models and greater investor engagement.

Green Assist is providing expert guidance on market opportunities, financing mechanisms, and legal frameworks to increase the bankability of these projects, with a focus on sustainable aquaculture, eco-tourism, and flood resilience. 

Over the next nine months, Green Assist will assist in developing robust business models, organising investor engagement events, and building local capacity to integrate nature-base solutions into regional planning. This collaboration will enable the successful implementation of nature-based solutions, promoting a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to regional development.

These three transformative projects underscore Green Assist’s commitment to fostering sustainable investment and environmental resilience across Europe. By bridging knowledge gaps, strengthening financial structuring, and connecting key stakeholders, the EU initiative is paving the way for scalable, replicable, and impactful green solutions. 

Green Assist aims to build a pipeline for high-impact green investment projects in sectors related to biodiversity, natural capital, and the circular economy, as well as in non-environmental sectors.

Learn more about how Green Assist can help you get free tailored support for your green project or contact us at cinea-green-assist@ec.europa.eu. To request advisory services from Green Assist, simply fill out this short form.