Governor Wenzel concludes official visit to Sweden

PARIS - The Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), Rolf Wenzel, concluded today an official visit to Sweden, during which he held meetings with government officials on bilateral cooperation and signed a loan agreement with the City of Malmö. 

Governor Wenzel met with Karolina Ekholm, State Secretary to the Minister for Finance, in Stockholm and had an exchange of views on the current cooperation between Sweden and the CEB as well as on the prospect of expanding this cooperation in the future. In particular, they discussed how best to facilitate the social integration of migrants and refugees in Sweden, a long-standing CEB member which has experienced a substantial migratory inflow in recent years. 

While in Stockholm, Mr Wenzel also met with Vesna Jovic, CEO of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKL). The Governor underlined that the CEB was fully committed to supporting the social projects of Swedish municipalities and regional authorities. 

Prior to these meetings, Governor Wenzel participated in a signing ceremony hosted by Malmö’s City Hall. On behalf of the CEB he signed an agreement for a € 160 million loan to the City of Malmö to finance the refurbishment and construction of education facilities. The project is expected to benefit the city’s growing student population, including children of migrant and refugee families. Representing the City of Malmö were Kent Andersson, Chairman of the City Council, Jan-Åke Troedsson, Chief Financial Officer, Ola Nyberg, Head of Treasury, and Claes Ramel, Senior Portfolio Manager. 

At the end of the ceremony, the Governor said: “The loan agreement that we signed will make a significant contribution to the upgrading of school facilities in a city that is rapidly growing and has a large migrant population. We at the CEB attach great importance to the integration of migrants and refugees. We all know the major role that education plays in social integration, which is why we are very pleased to be financing this project. I look forward to continuing the excellent cooperation between the Bank and the City of Malmö in the years ahead.”