The European Commission supports the development of the new A Coruña university hospital complex (CHUAC) in the city of A Coruña, located in the Spanish region of Galicia. The grant of nearly €60 million awarded under the Public Sector Loan Facility (PSLF), as part of the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM), complements a loan of €450 million provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Xunta de Galicia’s own resources, bringing the total investment to €600 million.
This social infrastructure project of regional interest aims to expand and modernise the existing hospital complex in A Coruña. It is one of Xunta de Galicia’s major actions to strengthen its public healthcare system. The new hospital complex will include state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities to provide comprehensive and high-quality healthcare and medical services for patients.
The resulting modern and sustainable healthcare infrastructure will improve the provision of health services and the quality of life of the citizens of Galicia, which in turn will enhance regional convergence with a significant impact on the local economy and employment.
Thanks to this project, around 564 000 people are expected to benefit from more efficient, accessible and quality health services in A Coruña and the surrounding areas. The project is also expected to create an estimated 6 140 direct and indirect jobs related to health infrastructure, representing approximately 1.3% of the employed population in A Coruña. With its energy efficiency measures, bioclimatic architecture, as well as sustainable and smart resources management, the project can substantially contribute to climate change mitigation.
This investment therefore plays a crucial role in mitigating the long-term socioeconomic consequences of the coal-fired plants closures in the region, while promoting a sustainable and an inclusive recovery for Galicia in the context of the region’s ageing demographic and green transitions.
Emma Toledano Laredo, Director at the European Commission (DG REGIO), said:
The European Commission, together with CINEA and the EIB, is very proud to bring the new A Coruña university hospital complex to life thanks to the Public Sector Loan Facility. This green, innovative and people-first project will enhance the provision of healthcare to Galicians, while bringing jobs to the region. This is yet another example of how a just and green transition can bring improvement in all sectors of a regional economy and its people.
Paloma Aba Garrote, Director of CINEA, added:
The new A Coruña university hospital complex is an excellent example of how the Public Sector Loan Facility can support European regions in their transition towards climate neutrality and improve people’s lives. Together with our partners, we are proud to invest in a sustainable and modern healthcare infrastructure, which will provide high-quality and accessible services for Galicians while fostering social cohesion, regional convergence and sustainability.
A spokesperson for the Xunta de Galicia regional government stated:
This project aiming to modernise and expand the A Coruña university hospital complex is a fundamental investment to develop the Galician healthcare infrastructure. Galicia is the first Spanish region to receive support from the Public Sector Loan Facility. Moreover, the new CHUAC project has been awarded the biggest PSLF grant so far, amounting to €59.3 million.
About PSLF
The Public Sector Loan Facility (PSLF) is the third pillar of the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) – a key tool of the European Green Deal Investment Plan to make sure that no one and no region is left behind in the transition to a climate-neutral economy.
The PSLF combines loans from the European Investment Bank (up to around €6-8 billion) with grants from the European Commission (up to €1.3 billion). The combined support is designed to mobilise additional investments for public sector entities in the regions most affected by the green transition as identified in the Territorial Just Transition Plans, to meet their development needs as they move towards a climate-neutral economy. Each Member State creates these plans to identify the challenges faced by just transition regions, along with their development needs and targets for 2030.
The combination of the European Investment Bank loan and the EU grant will help fund projects that do not generate enough revenues to cover their costs.
PSLF is managed by DG REGIO and implemented by CINEA.
About DG REGIO
The Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) is the department of the European Commission responsible for EU policies on regions and cities. It develops and carries out the Commission’s policies on regional and urban policy. It assists the economic and social development of the developed and less developed regions across the European Union.
About CINEA
The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) is an Executive Agency established by the European Commission to implement parts of EU funding programmes for transport, energy, climate action, environment and maritime fisheries and aquaculture. CINEA aims to assist its beneficiaries, establish strong partnerships, deliver high-quality programme and project management, foster effective knowledge sharing and create synergies between programmes – to support a sustainable, connected, and decarbonised Europe.
About the EIB
The European Investment Bank (EIB), whose shareholders are the 27 Member States of the European Union, is the EU’s long-term financing institution. The EIB provides loans to the public and private sectors to support high-quality investments contributing to the achievement of the EU headline targets.
Visit the PSLF webpage on CINEA website to find out more about the Facility and the projects it funds.
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First published in this link of The European Times.
