A delegation of the European Investment Bank headed by Vice-President Jan Vapaavuori visited the region of Skåne in Southern Sweden today to sign a financing deal with the Municipality of Malmö.
In the morning prior to the signing Vice-President Jan Vapaavuori, who is responsible for lending operations in the Nordic countries, spoke at an information session about the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) at the local “Handelskammaren”, the Southern Sweden Chamber of Commerce. This guarantee mechanism, which is part of the Juncker Commission’s so-called Investment Plan for Europe, is set to mobilise EUR 315bn of critical investments into the European economy over the coming years.
After this, the delegation visited Malmö’s city hall, where a framework loan was signed in the presence of the mayor, Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh. The agreement concerns a SEK 3 100m (EUR 332m) loan to the City of Malmö, that will be used for investments in the fields of education, childcare, and urban renewal and regeneration, which are all part of the city’s three-year investment programme (2015 to 2017).
“The EIB has been a committed supporter of Swedish municipalities over the last couple of years and we intend to continue on this path. It remains important to finance investments catering for the needs of a growing population, with the goal of promoting long-term economic growth in this city and the region of Skåne as a whole," said Vice-President Jan Vapaavuori.
