Brussels, 16/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - Road infrastructure projects will resume in Greece thanks to the approval of European funding on 13 December by the European Commission. The European Commissioner for Regional Development, Johannes Hahn, confirmed that €2.97 billion would be made available through the Cohesion Fund and European Regional Development Fund to relaunch four motorway construction projects. These projects were interrupted following funding problems caused by the crisis (a decline in traffic, a fall in income from tolls and banking sector disengagement). On Monday 16 December, the Commissioner explained to the press that the “abrupt interruption” was a visible casualty of the crisis in Greece. By 2015, European co-financing would allow for more than 400 km of new trunk roads to be built, as well as improvements to existing trunk roads. The resumption of this work is, “a sign of growing confidence in Greece's recovery”. The Commissioner was delighted that the European Commission had given the go-ahead for the subsidies, which are in line with rules on state aid because they “stimulate development”. Six thousand jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase of the project and 1,700 jobs will be created on a long-term basis for managing the infrastructure in place. (MD/transl.fl)