Brussels, 28/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - Further to the loan of €800 million to build sections of motorway in Poland (EUROPE n. 10406), the European Investment Bank (EIB) granted a loan of 254.2 million zlotys (around €65 million) on Monday 27 June, which will be used to pay for the redevelopment of the post-industrial city centre, particularly the cultural area. The EIB states that this loan will help to make this industrial centre in Silesia, a region in southern Poland representing around 6 million inhabitants, more attractive and competitive.
The EIB resources will help to pay for the construction of an international conference centre with a capacity of 8,000 seated places and the construction of a concert hall for Poland's Radio Symphony Orchestra. The conference centre and concert hall are both located in the “cultural axis” of Katowice, which used to be a hard coal mine and is crucial to the development of the city, due to its proximity to the town centre. The project also includes investment in developing the connecting infrastructure in the cultural district (streets, public services, sewerage etc). The city of Katowice is both a beneficiary of the EIB loan and the promoter of the project. The EIB loan represents a continuation of the successful cooperation between the EIB and Katowice. The Bank has already made Katowice three loans to modernise its municipal infrastructure, to a total of €93 million. (O.L./transl.fl)