The European Investment Bank (EIB), represented by Tanguy Desrousseaux, Head of Division responsible for public sector and infrastructure financing operations in France, today signed two projects with a direct impact on the daily lives of the people of Bordeaux, its surrounding area and the Gironde Department.
- A EUR 37.5m loan to semi-public company Bordeaux Métropole Énergies (BME) to enable it to offer favourable financing to individuals to perform assessments or energy efficiency renovation work on their homes, with a view to improving their standard of living, cutting their energy bill and increasing the value of their property.
- A EUR 60m loan to joint association Gironde Numérique (SMGN) to finance superfast broadband and fibre optic installation work in 37 municipalities around Bordeaux. A total of 54% of residents and companies in Gironde will eventually benefit from these installations.
Both of these operations fall within the financing framework of the European Fund for Strategic Investments, also known as the Juncker Plan. They demonstrate the commitment of the EIB, the EU bank, to Nouvelle Aquitaine and more specifically to Bordeaux, where a large share of several flagship projects has already been financed by the EU over the last few years, including the tram, the Bordeaux-Paris TGV line, the refurbishment of collèges (lower secondary schools) and the university campus, and the construction of a new hospital in Libourne.
“With these new operations, we are showing the people of Bordeaux – and more generally the people of Europe – that the Juncker Plan can have very tangible results for their daily lives, whether they take the form of financing for the energy transition, digital development or healthcare,” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle.