Council of Europe Development Bank’s Vice-Governor for Target Group Countries Mikołaj Dowgielewicz steps down

PARIS, 3-9-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — Mikołaj Dowgielewicz, Vice-Governor for Target Group Countries of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), resigned his post effective 31 August 2015 to become European Investment Bank (EIB) Representative to the EU institutions and Head of Brussels office as of 1st September 2015.

Mr Dowgielewicz, who began his mandate as CEB Vice-Governor on 2 May 2012, contributed substantially to the Bank’s activities in its 22 target group countries, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, including in the context of the Regional Housing Programme.

CEB Governor Rolf Wenzel thanked Mr Dowgielewicz for his work and commitment and said: “It has been a pleasure working with Mikołaj in the past few years. The CEB has greatly benefited from his profound knowledge of European institutions and mechanisms and his thorough understanding of political, social and economic developments, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. He has been most effective in increasing the Bank’s presence in the region. I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

In his turn, Mr Dowgielewicz highlighted the importance of strengthening social cohesion in Europe, especially in view of the migration issues facing the continent at the moment, and praised the work carried out by the CEB in that respect. He added that, in his new post, he would work to promote even close cooperation between the EIB and the CEB.

Set up in 1956, the CEB (Council of Europe Development Bank) has 41 member states. Twenty-two Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries, forming the Bank’s target countries, are listed among the member states. As a major instrument of the policy of solidarity in Europe, the Bank finances social projects by making available resources raised in conditions reflecting the quality of its rating (Aa1 with Moody’s, outlook stable, AA+ with Standard & Poor’s, outlook stable and AA+ with Fitch Ratings, outlook stable). It thus grants loans to its member states, and to financial institutions and local authorities in its member states for the financing of projects in the social sector, in accordance with its Articles of Agreement.

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