Belgium: European funding for better care in Antwerp

>@VK Studio/Architectenbureau Robbrecht & Daem
©VK Studio/Architectenbureau Robbrecht & Daem
  • Loan of €200 million for the modernisation and optimisation of Antwerp hospital sites.
  • ZNA is replacing two old hospitals with the Cadix hospital (under construction) and renovating three departments in ZNA Middelheim.
  • Partly thanks to the EIB financing, ZNA will be able to provide better and more efficient care and a greater focus on the ageing population in the region.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a loan of €200 million with Hospital Network Antwerp. ZNA will use the funding for modernisation and improvement works, as the foundation for even better care. The signing of the agreement is an important step in ZNA’s strategic care plan. It consolidates the activities of ZNA by modernising and integrating healthcare activities, meaning that the needless duplication of clinical services will no longer be necessary.

ZNA is also reducing the number of hospital sites. The Cadix hospital that is now being built will replace two older existing buildings. In the group’s largest hospital (ZNA Middelheim), the intensive care, kidney dialysis and child psychiatry departments are being renovated. In this way, doctors and nurses can provide more personalised care in a better working environment.

EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros explained: “Investments in healthcare have been high on the EIB’s list of priorities, together with the climate. In the current situation, the Bank can make an even clearer difference with its inexpensive financing, in order to ease some of the financial pressure on healthcare institutions. The EIB is firmly behind the healthcare workers and institutions that are being severely tested by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.”

Wouter De Ploey, CEO of ZNA, added: “It is fantastic that we can work with a renowned institution such as the European Investment Bank for our projects. The financing of the EIB is an important milestone in achieving our healthcare strategy plans. Thus, the EIB also shows a long-term commitment to the health sector. This is also very good news financially: the EIB is providing us with excellent credit terms; this cooperation confirms our creditworthiness. As a result, other financiers have also stepped in to finance our plans. Thanks to this contract, the Antwerp patients will reap the benefits of a state-of-the art hospital environment.”

Hospital Network Antwerp (ZNA) is the largest healthcare organisation in Belgium. With ten sites, the group includes three general hospitals, seven day centres, six specialised hospitals, a psychiatric nursing home and a residential care centre. ZNA’s area of coverage extends over 32 municipalities. This means that ZNA can potentially reach over a million inhabitants. In the city of Antwerp, ZNA has a 44% patient share. ZNA employs about 6 300 people, including 600 doctors. In 2019, ZNA had approximately 2 500 beds and 51 000 people were hospitalised. In addition, 71 000 patients were treated in the day clinic. There were also nearly 600 000 outpatients.



Media advisory – Video conference of European affairs ministers of 17 November 2020

Indicative programme

10.00 – Video conference of European affairs ministers
– Preparation of the European Council on 10-11 December 2020
– Rule of law dialogue
– Enlargement
– Fight against antisemitism
+/- 15.30
– Multiannual financial framework (public session)
+/- 15.45
– Commission’s work programme for 2021 (public session)
– 2021 European Semester

At the end of the meeting (+/- 16.45) – press conference in live streaming.

Arrangements for the press

Please note that the press conference after the meeting will take place remotely. In order to participate and ask questions, EU accredited journalists should register using this link.  

Those who already registered for the previous video conferences and press briefings of European affairs ministers do not need to do it again.

  • Deadline for the registration: Tuesday 17 November, 15.30

Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants after the respective deadlines.

Photos and videos from the event



Press release – Fight against terrorism and the EU’s security strategy

The Civil Liberties Committee will assess the state of play in counter-terrorism and the security strategy with Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson and the German Presidency of the Council. Future developments regarding the so-called Prüm decisions and automated exchanges of information from DNA databases, fingerprints and car registration data, and the 2004 Advance Passenger Information (API) directive, which obliges carriers to collect passenger information, will play a central part in the debate.

Strengthening Europol’s mandate, the future action plan on integration and exclusion and current negotiations to ensure terrorist content is removed from the internet swiftly and efficiently are also likely to be raised.

When: Monday, 16 November, from 16.50 to 18.05.

Where: European Parliament in Brussels, József Antall (4Q2), and remotely.

Check the full agenda of the committee meeting. You can follow the discussion live.

Last week, MEPs held a plenary debate with Commissioner Johansson on the latest terror attacks and the need to further develop the counter-terrorism strategy, in parallel with additional efforts to promote fundamental freedoms and integration.



EU derivative clearing showed strong growth in 2019

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, today publishes its third Annual Statistical Report (Report) analysing the European Union’s (EU) derivatives markets. It provides a comprehensive market-level view of the EU’s derivatives markets in 2019, which had a total size of €681tn gross notional amount outstanding, a decrease of 5% on 2018. The Report is based on data submitted under the European Markets and Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR).

Steven Maijoor, Chair, said:

“This year’s EU derivatives report reflects the improving quality of data reported under EMIR to present a comprehensive picture of derivative markets. It shows in particular that the clearing obligation, which began in 2016, continued to reduce systemic and counterparty risk in 2019.

“The collection and analysis of this data helps ESMA meet its financial stability and orderly markets objectives, by contributing to our risk assessment capability, facilitating regulatory authorities’ oversight and enhancing supervisory convergence across the EU.”

Highlights

  • The reduction in the total market size during 2019 was driven mainly by currency and equity derivatives, which fell by 15% and 35% respectively. Interest rate derivatives grew in the first half of the year, but later fell back and finished unchanged over the year; 
  • OTC trading still accounts for the majority of the trading with the share growing to 92% from 90%. The total share executed on trading venues (which includes some OTC trading) fell from 17% to 15%, driven by a fall in exchanged-traded derivatives;
  • Exposures continue to be highly concentrated in relatively few counterparties, particularly investment firms, credit institutions and CCPs. In all markets, a few large counterparties are widely connected to other market participants; and
  • The UK remains the dominant market for transactions within the EEA as well as with third countries. There were some signs of UK-US exposures growing slightly, while UK-EEA exposures fell.

EMIR data continues to improve. In this year’s report, the removal of an over-reporting counterparty improved data for both 2018 and 2019, enabling a refinement of 2018’s statistics. 

The report also includes an analysis of a specific derivatives market, credit default swaps (CDS), presenting market structure and trends statistics for 2019 and some CDS-specific indicators. A second article analyses the initial margins collected by CCPs, by asset, levels of concentration, and explores systemic risk.

ESMA will continue to report on its analysis on an annual basis.



Article – Apply for 2021 edition of the Charlemagne Youth Prize

The European Parliament and the International Charlemagne Prize Foundation in Aachen award the Charlemagne Youth Prize every year to projects by young people with a strong EU dimension. Applications for 2021 are open until 1 February 2021.

The prize

The three winning projects will be chosen from 27 projects nominated by national juries in each EU country. The first prize is €7,500, second prize €5,000 and third prize €2,500. If the situation allows it, representatives of all 27 national winning projects will be invited to Aachen, Germany, in May 2021 where the award ceremony will take place.

The rules

Projects must meet the following criteria to qualify:

  • Promote European and international understanding
  • Foster the development of a shared sense of European identity and integration
  • Serve as a role model for young people living in Europe
  • Offer practical examples of Europeans living together as one community