Brussels, 04/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 2 November, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced that it will be providing €250 million for investments undertaken by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Netherlands and Belgium. This means that companies in the Netherlands and Belgium will benefit from the European Investment Bank's engagement through lower interest rates. European Investment Bank supported funding will be able to finance 100% of an individual company's investment costs, up to a maximum of €12.5 million per project. The operation denotes the beginning of a new round of financing in favour of Dutch and Belgian SMEs through the intermediary of ING, whose previous loans are now fully allocated to SMEs. Past European Investment Bank lending for Dutch SMEs has benefitted companies in agriculture, food, manufacturing and retail sectors, with the average allocation per company close to €1 million. Between 2008 and 2010, the EIB provided €30 billion to 160,000 SMEs across Europe to support long-term growth during challenging economic circumstances. (OL/transl.jl)