Luxembourg, 03/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - On the fringes of an annual forum of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in Helsinki on 27/28 October (EUROPE 9060), the European Union's long-term financing institution announced three long-term loans for a total of EUR 203 million in Finland. A loan of EUR 153 mil is being made for the construction and operation of a new section of the E18 motorway, between Muurla and Lohja in southwest Finland (one of the trans-European transport network priorities) linking Helsinki with Oslo and Stockholm. The project will take the form of a Public Private Partnership (PPP), the first PPP in Finland. The EIB has also granted a EUR 25 mil loan to the Aktia Savings Bank for R&D investment by Finnish SMEs on environmental issues, healthcare, training and human resources. The EIB is granting EUR 25 mil to the Oulu Region joint authority for vocational training to update training equipment in north Finland (including building and updating polytechnics).