Renaud Muselier, Deputy Chairman of the Region responsible for coordinating regional policies and EU funds, and Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) – the EU bank – today signed a EUR 250m financing agreement for the refurbishment and upgrading of lycées (upper secondary schools) throughout the region. The signing ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region in Marseille.
This EIB loan for the region’s lycées, granted on attractive financial terms thanks to the EU bank's AAA rating, directly enables 34 construction, refurbishment and extension operations to be supported: 31 public lycées, a regional special needs school (EREA), an agricultural lycée and a regional crafts and trades university (URMA) will benefit from this partnership, which will also help the economy by increasing activity in the construction sector, creating jobs in the region.
“The EU bank is delighted to sign this loan with the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region with which we have formed a long-standing, high-quality partnership”, said Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle at the signing ceremony. "Against a backdrop of continuing high unemployment among young people, education and the development of skills are essential to ensure the professional success of future generations. This is why educating young people is one of our priorities in France. Optimising the energy efficiency of buildings is also a priority for this loan in order to create optimal conditions for education and lycée life. We have therefore taken care to ensure that the energy efficiency of the school buildings being built or refurbished is a key component of this project.”
“For Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur this is a great satisfaction. Given the very high quality of the projects selected by the European Investment Bank, its support reflects the excellent work of our teams since we arrived. This also provides further confirmation of the EU's commitment to our region: EUR 525m in 2016 to make Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur a great European region. That is its vocation and its role”, stated Renaud Muselier.
In accordance with the Paris Agreement, particular emphasis is placed on optimising the energy efficiency of the infrastructure built or refurbished with a view to cutting its operating costs and carbon emissions.
This financing falls under the EU bank's priority action to promote the education of young people and climate action. In 2016, EUR 705m was dedicated to refurbishing and modernising collèges, lycées (upper secondary schools) and universities in France. These investments aim to give young people more opportunities to succeed while creating a long-lasting economic and social dynamic at the heart of cities and regions. As for climate action, in 2016 it accounted for 35% of the Bank's activity, so exceeding the EU's 2020 target of 25% to which the EIB has committed under the Paris Agreement.
Photographer: Anne-Cécile Auguin ©EIB
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