CEB loan to Department of Gironde in France to support construction and modernisation of public secondary schools
Vice-Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), Tomáš Boček, and President of the Departmental Council of Gironde in France, Jean-Luc Gleyze, today signed the first direct CEB loan to the Department worth €100 million to support the construction and renovation of public lower secondary schools (collèges).


Jean-Luc Gleyze and Tomáš Boček
Jean-Luc Gleyze and Tomáš Boček
Responding to the recent demographic growth in Gironde, the project aims to invest in construction, refurbishment, maintenance and upgrading of eight lower secondary public schools and related equipment over the period 2021-2027.

“The loan that we have just signed marks the beginning of the Bank’s relationship with Gironde,” said Vice-Governor Boček. “In addition to increasing the enrolment capacities and improving energy efficiency, this project will have significant impact on the preparation of adolescents in Gironde for their future studies and demands of the labour market. Indeed, as a bank with a uniquely strong social mandate, we are pleased to support the Department’s efforts to ensure that every student has access to high-quality education and an equal chance to enter the labour market.”

With more than 1.6 million inhabitants, Gironde is the seventh-largest French