France: EIB and Groupe BPCE sign an agreement to provide €200 million in support for French agricultural businesses

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

• Through an intermediated loan to the BPCE banking group, this operation will help to finance investments made by small businesses and mid-caps in the farming and bioeconomy sectors in France.
• It will provide special support to young farmers, helping to address one of the most urgent challenges facing the French farming sector.
• This is the first operation signed by the EIB in France as part of the €3 billion package set up in 2024 to support agricultural businesses.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the BPCE banking group have signed an agreement to mobilise €200 million in loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps in the French farming and bioeconomy sectors. This is the first operation that the EIB has signed in France as part of the €3 billion package it approved in 2024 to support businesses in the farming sector.

The particular focus of this operation is to meet the specific needs of young farmers, thus facilitating the creation of new holdings and the takeover of existing ones. It will help to sustain and create jobs in rural communities by encouraging people to stay in those areas. The operation will help residents to purchase and modernise farms and to invest in sustainable technologies.

“We are delighted to sign this agreement with Groupe BPCE. It is the first in France as part of the EIB’s €3 billion package to support agricultural businesses, with an emphasis on young farmers. The aim of this operation is to provide affordable and tailored financing to support the agricultural sector on its path to a more sustainable and resilient future,” said EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti, who is responsible for operations in the agricultural sector.

“Thanks to our long-standing partnership with the EIB, we have a credit envelope of €200 million dedicated to the farming and winegrowing sectors. The Banques Populaires and the Caisses d’Epargne will thus be stepping up their support for young farmers, winegrowers and new entrants, encouraging the renewal of generations, which is essential to the vitality of our regions. At the same time, we are committed to supporting projects aimed at accelerating the transition to sustainable agriculture”, added Cédric Glorieux, Director of Products and Solutions, Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne.

Present at the signing of the agreement in Brussels, as part of the conference on the vision for Agriculture and Food organised by the European Commission the european commissioner for agriculture and food Christophe Hansen welcomed the agreement : “”When launching the €3 billion package last December, the European Commission and the EIB set a clear aim: to support the EU’s agricultural priorities by facilitating generational renewal in a sector that encounters various hurdles in access to finance, and driving the ecological transition in rural areas. Today’s signature is a testament to the essential role these funds play in the agriculture and bioeconomy sectors. We remain committed to meeting the needs of our farmers.”

Almost all of this finance will be allocated to projects in regions that fall within the scope of European cohesion and transition programmes. In addition, 30% of the funds will be dedicated to projects helping to promote climate action, efficient water use and biodiversity protection. These projects will involve energy-efficient irrigation systems, solar panel installation, low-carbon machinery, soil regeneration, and sustainable resource management. Thanks to the EIB’s operation, SMEs and mid-caps will be able to access loans with more favourable financing conditions and repayment deadlines that are adapted to the business cycle of their investments.

Background information

EIB

The European Investment Bank is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives, by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world. The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security. The EIB Group signed more than 100 operations in France in 2024 for a total amount of €12.6 billion, mobilising €62 billion of investment in the real economy. All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment. Fostering market integration and mobilising investment, the Group supported a record of over €100 billion in new investment for Europe’s energy security in 2024 and unlocked €110 billion in growth capital for startups, scale-ups and European pioneers. Approximately half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower than the EU average.

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Groupe BPCE

Groupe BPCE is the second-largest banking group in France. It employs 100 000 staff serving 35 million customers worldwide – individuals, professionals, companies, investors and local government. It operates in the retail banking and insurance fields in France via its two major networks, Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne, along with Banque Palatine and Oney. It also pursues its activities worldwide with the asset and wealth management services provided by Natixis Investment Managers and the wholesale banking expertise of Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking. The group’s financial strength is recognised by four rating agencies with the following preferred senior long-term ratings: Moody’s (A1, stable outlook), Standard & Poor’s (A+, stable outlook), Fitch (A+, stable outlook) and R&I (A+, stable outlook).