Brussels, 15/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Investment Bank announced a loan of EUR 31 billion in favour of a project in Lodz, the second largest city in Poland, which wants to modernise its drinking water and wastewater networks in order to meet Community standards in terms of the environment. Since 1990, the EIB has lent EUR 13.7 billion in favour of projects in the ten Central and Eastern European EU accession candidate countries.