Brussels, 26/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 21 March, the European Investment Bank (EIB) granted Diákhitel Központ (the student loan centre in Hungary) a loan of €100 million to be on-lent to students pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees at Hungarian higher education institutions. This loan meets the EU's key objectives of growth and employment because it supports access to higher education for around 14% of eligible Hungarian students who otherwise would not be able to finance their higher education, an EIB press release states. The press release also points out that young Hungarian graduates will derive considerable benefits from the loan, “with positive implications for the country's society and economy”. The operation comes as Hungary is currently faces an overall unemployment rate of 12%, which is hitting young people particularly hard as they have an unemployment rate of 26.1%. (OL/transl.fl)