Following talks with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, the President of the EIB Group, Werner Hoyer, pays tribute to the Great Investment Plan launched this morning by the French Government: “The EIB welcomes the ambitious five-year Great Investment Plan presented by

the Prime Minister. The EIB Group is geared up to supporting investment in France, especially in the framework of the Juncker Plan. We are encouraged to continue our action in sectors such as the energy and digital transitions, the modernisation of agriculture and innovation, to mention only a few areas in which the EIB has greatly stepped up its activity in France. I have informed the Prime Minister and the Economy and Finance Minister of the EIB’s desire to continue supporting an investment policy targeting France’s priorities for the future. We shall therefore carry on with our ambitious activity in France with the aim of reaching EUR 40 to 45 billion worth of financing over five years.”

Since 2012, thanks to its sound skills and the financial attraction of its AAA rating, the EIB Group has doubled the volume of its business France to achieve a record EUR 9.3 billion in 2016 in support of SMEs and innovation, strategic sectors such as climate action, energy, health, education of young people, housing and training facilities.

Furthermore, France is among the principal beneficiaries of the Investment Plan for Europe – commonly known as the Juncker Plan – with 99 operations to date totalling EUR 7.5 billion of EIB Group financing and representing EUR 35.4 billion worth of additional investment on the ground.