EIB President Awarded Order of the Oak Crown

On Wednesday 10 November 2021, Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), was awarded the Grand Officer medal of the Grand Ducal Order of the Oak Crown.
 
Luxembourg's Minister of Finance, Pierre Gramegna, conferred this honorary distinction, on behalf of His Royal Higness the Grand Duke, on Werner Hoyer, in the framework of the general promotion in national orders. He is the first President of the EIB to be awarded this distinction.

“Since the start of his first mandate in 2012, Werner Hoyer has worked to strengthen the role of the EIB in Europe and its support for the development of the European economy, in particular with flagship initiatives such as the European Fund for strategic investments. During the pandemic, the EIB also played a crucial role in providing a European and united response to the health and economic crisis", commented Minister Gramegna. "Since taking office, Werner Hoyer has also advanced and consolidated the role of the EIB as Europe's climate bank. I would like to congratulate President Hoyer for the promotion of multilateralism in the fight against climate change and the protection of the environment, as highlighted again recently with the adoption of the joint declaration on climate ambition with other banks multilateral organisations within the framework of COP26”.

Werner Hoyer added: “With a touch of humility - but also with great joy - I accept this order with great pleasure. I know that it is not just for me, but above all for my organisation, the EIB, and its some 4,000 employees, who have not found in Luxembourg a 'host country', but a second home".

During the handover ceremony, the Minister of Finance warmly thanked Werner Hoyer for his commitment in the performance of his duties and the excellent cooperation between Luxembourg and the EIB. He highlighted in particular the establishment of the joint Luxembourg-EIB Climate Finance Platform (LCFP), an innovative initiative aimed at mobilising private investments in the field of international climate finance. The EIB also supports the International Climate Finance Accelerator (ICFA), a public-private partnership set up in 2018 by ten private entities of the Luxembourg financial sector as well as the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Environment and Climate and Sustainable Development.

In addition to these flagship climate action projects in the Grand Duchy, Luxembourg and the EIB have cooperated on many initiatives aimed at strengthening multilateral action and mobilising the private sector, including the Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF), the City Climate Finance Gap Fund and the Economic Resilience Initiative.

Minister Gramegna noted: “Luxembourg welcomes its long-standing cooperation with the EIB, and continues to strengthen its support for the bank's initiatives. Werner Hoyer is a great promoter of the European Union and its values ​​as well as a true friend of our country. With this distinction, Luxembourg wishes to honour his commitment to Europe”.

Werner Hoyer concluded: "The exemplary role that the 'small' Luxembourg can have in Europe and in the whole world, we see it right now with the question of the climate: under this government, Luxembourg has become a world model for financing climate protection, the most important issue of our time. Boulevard Joseph II is now the Wall Street of green financing".