EIFFEL ESSENTIEL FUND

The project consists of a fund providing growth capital to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the energy transition, the agrifood and the health sectors across Europe.

The fund will invest equity capital into small to mid-sized renewable energy developers (40-45%) and SMEs involved in sustainable agriculture/ bioeconomy (15-25%) and healthcare (25-35%) based mainly in the EU and EFTA countries (>80%), with France expected to represent the key market.

Most, if not all, of the renewable energy projects financed by the Fund are expected to fall under Annex II (or for projects outside the EU, would fall if implemented inside the EU) of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive 2014/52/EU amending Directive 2011/92/EU, in which case the projects may be subject to a full EIA, following a screening based on Annex III of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive by the competent authorities. The healthcare investments are primarily in R&D, activities that are expected to be carried out in existing facilities already authorised for the same purpose and would therefore not require an EIA under the Directive 2014/52/EU amending Directive 2011/92/EU. Full environmental details will be verified during the appraisal. Furthermore, the fund manager's capacity and procedures will be assessed to ensure that the fund management and its investee companies are in compliance with the Bank's environmental and social requirements for infrastructure fund activities.

For investments inside the EU, the fund manager will be required to take all the requisite measures to ensure that contracts for the implementation of the projects financed by the Fund have been or will be (as appropriate) tendered in accordance with the relevant applicable EU procurement legislation (Directive 2014/23/EU and/or Directive 2014/24/EU and/or Directive 2014/25/EU, where applicable, as well as Directive 92/13/EEC or Directive 89/665/EEC) as interpreted by the Court of Justice of the EU, with publication of tender notices in the Official Journal of the European Union, as and where required. For investments outside the EU the fund manager shall ensure that implementation of the projects they invest in has been and will be done in accordance with the bank's Guide to Procurement (in line with the bank's Equity Risk Guidelines).