Philippe de Fontaine Vive, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Jean-Louis Joseph, Vice-President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, responsible for finance, evaluation, planning and lycées (upper secondary schools), signed today a EUR 400 million finance contract for the renovation and construction of lycées in keeping with environmental quality and sustainable development principles. This is the first financing operation between the EIB and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region.
To be precise, the EIB loan will contribute to the construction, renovation and refurbishment of 33 lycées in the Region, including their sports facilities and multi-purpose halls, and also of the International School of Manosque which will cater for children of all ages of the staff and researchers of various nationalities working on the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project on the Cadarache site.
This EIB loan is the first of its type to be undertaken with a French Region. It provides a large-scale budget for the whole of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, where the number of school pupils will soon reach almost 36 000. In addition, the objective of these 34 projects is to enable young people to study in modern, well-equipped infrastructure and to construct or renovate these state-owned buildings in accordance with the most stringent environmental protection and sustainable development requirements. All will be eligible for the HPE (High Energy Performance), THPE (Very High Energy Performance), BBC (Low-Consumption Building) or HQE (High Environmental Quality) label.
The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region will be able to mobilise the necessary funds for these schemes as the work proceeds.
This operation addresses the joint priorities of the EIB and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region:
- to contribute to the development of human skills in the knowledge economy and to foster the high level of education and integration of the population, which is essential for social and economic development in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur;
- to create lycées throughout the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region which lead the way in terms of energy performance;
- to spread out the repayment of the investment via a long-term (25-year) loan on advantageous conditions;
- to contribute to safeguarding employment in this sector in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, particularly at a time of crisis, by launching works at a number of lycées and the implementation of the programme over a number of years.
“I would like to thank the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region for allowing this initial operation to be set up. The lycées and energy efficiency are vital and, from this point of view, the programme is very symbolic on the eve of the Copenhagen Summit. I hope that this European partnership with the Region will be the first of a long series, which, given the climate of this region which I call my own, will include a solar energy project. This type of operation demonstrates how close the EIB, the Bank of the European Union, is to its citizens”, stated Mr de Fontaine Vive.
“I am delighted that Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is the first Region to sign such an important finance contract with the European Investment Bank. This loan is an illustration of the policy that we are pursuing, especially in this period of economic crisis when public orders are crucial for our businesses and employment, as well as for sustainable development, which has been a regional priority for several years. The lycées that we are building and renovating are concrete examples of this strategy and this loan provided by the EIB to the Region is an acknowledgement of our efforts in this area”, emphasised Michel Vauzelle, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region.
Background information:
About the EIB
The remit of the European Investment Bank (EIB) is to provide mainly long-term loans for viable private or public investment projects, aimed at furthering the EU’s integration, cohesion and development objectives, broken down into six priority policies: economic and social cohesion; environmental protection; research and innovation; support for SMEs; trans-European transport networks and support for secure, competitive and sustainable energy. It raises funds on the capital markets, which it uses to finance on the keenest terms projects that are in line with European strategies. In 2008, it provided EUR 57 billion of funding in the European Union and, in 2009, in order to help the economy tackle the financial crisis, this figure is expected to reach EUR 70 billion in support of local authorities and businesses.
Under the Lisbon European objective to create a competitive and innovative knowledge economy for sustainable growth, employment security and social cohesion, the EIB has channelled over EUR 17 billion into education and training projects since 2000. In France, the EIB has contributed more than EUR 1 billion to investment in this sector. In particular, it has assisted the refurbishment of school infrastructure by working directly with large public authorities and through a “High Energy & Environmental Quality” programme for the construction and refurbishment of public buildings to stringent energy and environmental standards. Energy efficiency initiatives are a focal point of the EIB's energy objective, for which its lending is growing year by year: in 2009, it has already provided EUR 9 billion to this sector.
About the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region
In its drive to enhance the environment and the well-being of its inhabitants, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region integrates sustainable development principles into every scheme that it undertakes, irrespective of whether it is in the environmental, transport, town and country planning, agricultural or economic development sectors, or even in the education sector including the lycées. The objective is clear: to hand down to future generations a secure natural heritage and quality of life and to build up an economy and a society based on greater solidarity. Since 2006, the Region has been seeking to spread the concept of sustainable development under its Agenda 21 programme. The lycées and vocational training centres have therefore become a target for priority measures leading the way in terms of environmental standards and sustainable development. From their construction to their operation, and in their choice of equipment, these establishments are becoming increasingly environmentally friendly.
Moreover, faced with the special circumstances of a major economic crisis, the Region wished to implement at its level and in its area of responsibility a regional anti-crisis plan. With almost EUR 650 million included in its 2009 budget, the Region is highly committed to mitigating the effects of the economic crisis through large-scale projects to support students, transport, housing, the lycées, regional development etc. Regional companies will be the first beneficiaries of these public funds to underpin and expand employment.