The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing four loans to co-finance priority projects in Hungary receiving support from EU Funds:
- EUR 300 million to support projects within the Transport and Energy & Environment Operational Programmes;
- EUR 300 million to co-finance selected projects under the Rural Development Programme; in the sectors of animal husbandry, renewable energy, training in sustainable agricultural production, small-scale agro-tourism and conservation of rural heritage.
- EUR 80 million to co-finance small scale projects to improve accessibility of regions; and
- EUR 55 million to co-finance projects in the health sector within the Social Infrastructure Operational Programme.
EIB President Mr Philippe Maystadt, who signed the loans together with Hungarian Minister for National Economy, Mr. György Matolcsy, commented: “The loans signed today will help to strengthen the competitiveness of Hungary and increase the country’s absorption of EU funds through providing resources to finance the Hungarian contribution to implement priority projects receiving support from these funds. This will have a significant anti-crisis impact in terms of job creation and contribute to the increase of the quality of life of Hungarian citizens”.
A loan of EUR 300 million will co-finance priority investments within the Transport and Environment & Energy Operational Programmes. The objective in the transport sector is to improve accessibility with a view to increasing economic competitiveness and strengthening social and territorial cohesion improving Hungary’s main roads and railways infrastructure with the focus on environmentally friendly and sustainable modes of transport.
Another loan of EUR 300 million will contribute to sustainable rural development, renewable energy, climate change, biodiversity protection and soil management. The Beneficiaries will be small-scale agro tourism and conservation of rural heritage through co-financing of small scale, particularly private sector projects, in the area of enterprises and communities in rural, agricultural and tourism infrastructure areas in all the regions of the country.
The loan of EUR 80 million will focus on projects in the road sector improving regional accessibility by upgrading and load-bearing capacity of connecting roads to the Trans-European Transport Network. It will also finance construction of by-passes around cities presently crossed by national roads with a high load of long-distance transit traffic.
Finally, the loan of EUR 55 million will support in all regions of Hungary the development of regional outpatient specialist care centres, the preparation of the institutional system of in-patient specialist care for structural change and IT development activities in the health care system.
Note to editors:
The mission of the EIB, the European Union’s long-term financing institution, is to contribute to the integration, balanced development and economic and social cohesion of the EU Member States by financing sound investment.
The EIB is increasingly supporting Hungary’s economic development. Over the last two years, in 2009 and 2010, the EIB lending commitments amount to EUR 3.6 billion, while the loan signatures in 2011, including the current loans, already total to some EUR 900 million.