Brussels, 11/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Investment Bank and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia signed, on Wednesday, a new framework agreement which extends to industry the possibility of loans, hitherto reserved for the transport sector, and does away with the intervention ceiling.
The agreement replaces the current text which reaches its expiry date and which, concluded in the context of the financial protocol for the agreement on EU/Macedonia transport cooperation, limited to EUR 150 million EIB funds available for Macedonia until December 2000. The new agreement does not set a limit within the budgetary allocation of 6.6 billion for 2000-2007 foreseen for thirteen countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
The framework agreement will allow the EIB to grant loans for projects in the industry, transport, energy, environmental protection, telecommunications, tourism and services sectors. The EIB is preparing to intervene for "new top priority investments in the country, such as the power transmission line between Dubrovo and Radomiv, in Bulgaria, and the modernisation of Skopje airport", stated EIB Vice-President Panagiotis Gennimatas, during signing of the agreement in Skopje.