France: EBRD shareholder profile

France was one of the first donors to announce a contribution to the multi-donor account for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region in 2011. France is also a contributor to the Ukraine Stabilisation and Sustainable Growth Multi-Donor Account, European Western Balkans Joint Fund, the Sustainable Infrastructure Fund and the EBRD Crisis Response Special Fund.

France is an important supporter of nuclear safety, a key component of the EBRD’s energy strategy. As a G7 member, France promoted the establishment of both the Nuclear Safety Account and the Chernobyl Shelter Fund and contributed €63.3 million and €115 million respectively.

Through direct commitments and through the European Union, France contributed to the decommissioning of Soviet-designed nuclear plants at three sites in eastern Europe: Kozloduy 1 to 4 in Bulgaria, Ignalina 1 and 2 in Lithuania and Bohunice V1 in the Slovak Republic. France also contributed €40 million to the nuclear window of the EBRD’s Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership (NDEP).

In 2022 France provided a €100 million unfunded guarantee to enable, together with other contributors, EBRD loans to Naftogaz and Ukrainian Railways.

France is one of the strongest sources of foreign direct investment in the EBRD’s countries of operations. The value of joint France-EBRD investment stood at €32.70 billion as of end of December 2023. EBRD finance accounted for €16.74 billion, and French investment accounted for €15.96 billion.

The joint investment has been strong regionally, and followed by countries, Poland, Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine. Broken down by industry, the joint investment has been in the following sectors: industry, commerce and agribusiness, sustainable infrastructure, and in financial institutions.

French banks are also involved in the Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP), through which the EBRD guarantees the payment of trade finance instruments issued by banks in the countries where we invest to foreign confirming banks. Since inception, the TFP has supported 819 export and import transactions for French companies for a total € 646.49 million, for transactions which were initiated by banks in the EBRD countries of operation and confirmed by banks in both France and abroad. Thirty-two French banks and branches of banks have joined the programme as Confirming Banks (all figures as of December 2023).

From 2018 to 2022, entities from France won 403 procurement and consultancy contracts worth €337.8 million.