CEB releases new working paper

08 June 2015

The CEB released its latest working paper “Financing Social and Affordable Housing in Europe: the CEB’s Approach”.

This working paper provides an overview of the CEB’s activities in housing financing, with a focus on the last fifteen years of activity. In this period the Bank approved € 5.2 billion in loans to the housing sector, or 17% relative to total lending. The working paper also assesses recent trends in housing needs and considers how these will shape the demand for social and affordable housing and its financing. The paper then discusses the CEB’s approach to maintaining its relevance and social role in the context of such changes.

The roots of the Bank’s financing in favour of the housing sector date back to 1956, with the total volume of projects approved in this sector coming close to € 10 billion. This amount represents a significant 20% share of total loans approved over the period 1956-2014.

This publication is a follow-up to the study published in 2010, “Sustainable Housing and Urban Development: the CEB’s Contribution”.

Set up in 1956, the CEB (Council of Europe Development Bank) has 41 member states. Twenty-two Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries, forming the Bank's target countries, are listed among the member states. As a major instrument of the policy of solidarity in Europe, the Bank finances social projects by making available resources raised in conditions reflecting the quality of its rating (Aa1 with Moody's, outlook stable, AA+ with Standard & Poor's, outlook stable and AA+ with Fitch Ratings, outlook stable). It thus grants loans to its member states, and to financial institutions and local authorities in its member states for the financing of projects in the social sector, in accordance with its Articles of Agreement.