#InvestEU: European support for Dutch Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep

Met dank overgenomen van Europese Commissie (EC) i, gepubliceerd op woensdag 22 mei 2019.
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    European Investment Bank lends €120 million to Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep (Noordwest) with support from the Investment Plan for Europe, or Juncker Plan.
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    Financing meant for renovation of hospital in Den Helder and new construction of hospital in Alkmaar, with the municipality providing a €40 million guarantee.

Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep will invest €230 million in hospitals in Alkmaar and Den Helder, among others. For this, a €120 million loan has been granted by the European Investment Bank (EIB i), with a further €110 coming from BNG Bank. The municipality of Alkmaar guarantees part of the loan. The investment programme concerns the renovation of the Den Helder location, the new construction of the first phase in the Alkmaar location, the construction of an underground parking garage in Alkmaar, the renovation of the Westerlicht home and the implementation of an electronic medical records system.

European Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, Jyrki Katainen i, said: “With support from the EU i, the residents of the province of Noord-Holland will soon benefit from improved facilities and better healthcare. The Investment Plan for Europe has helped finance many medical facilities across the EU as well as ground-breaking medical research, and I am proud that we are making a tangible difference to people’s lives as a result.”

“The EIB is proud to support Noordwest Hospital in providing even higher quality care, while maintaining the universal access to services for your users.” commented EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. “The mission statement of the EIB is that we are here to “improve people’s lives” through the financing we provide. I think that you might be one of the clearest examples of that mission statement to date.”

Joop Hendriks, chairman of the board, added: “We are very glad that we were able to close this financing agreement. We have seen a great collaboration between several governmental institutions, which have all recognised the importance of good quality hospital care in the northern part of the province of Noord-Holland. Thanks to these loans, we can cover our investment programme for the coming years. It will allow us to not only guarantee our quality care, but also further expand it throughout the region. A great milestone for Noordwest!”

The base for the loans was an extensive business case which has seen long negotiations. Thanks to the chosen construction of the loan, Noordwest enjoys particularly advantageous conditions; a longer tenor and a relatively low interest rate. The European Investment Bank will lend €120 million, supported by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the main pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe, also known as the Juncker Plan. The municipality of Alkmaar will provide a €40 million guarantee; half of which is meant for the construction of the underground parking, half for the first phase of the new construction of the Alkmaar location.

Background information

The European Investment Bank is the EU’s long-term lending institution; her shares are held by the EU Member States. The EIB makes long-term financing available for sound investment projects that contribute to the policy goals of the European Union. Last year, the EIB made available around €2 billion for projects in the Netherlands alone.

The Investment Plan for Europe - the Juncker Plan - focuses on strengthening European investments to create jobs and growth. The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) is the central pillar of the Juncker Plan. It provides a first loss guarantee, allowing the EIB to invest in more, often riskier, projects. So far, the projects and agreements approved for financing under the EFSI are expected to mobilise €398.6 billion in investments and support around 949,000 SMEs across all 28 Member States. Find the latest EFSI figures by sector and by country here, or see the FAQs.

BNG Bank is a committed partner for a more sustainable society. We enable the public sector to achieve socially relevant objectives. With a balance sheet of more than €130 billion, we are the fourth-largest bank in the Netherlands and a relevant financier for local authorities and institutions for housing, healthcare, education, energy and infrastructure. BNG Bank aims to make a social impact rather than maximise its profit.