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EIB COFINANCING OF STRUCTURAL FUNDS
The role of the EIB
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Partner in strengthening
Economic & Social Cohesion
• Title XVII of the Treaty :
Community actions to strengthen economic and social cohesion are
supported through the Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund and the EIB
• Art 267 a) of the Treaty :
The Bank shall facilitate the financing of projects for developing lessdeveloped regions in all sectors of the economy
•Translated into the Framework regulation N° 1260/99
A priority mission assigned to the Bank
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Framework Regulation N° 1260/1999
Art. 1 : ‘’The Structural Funds, the EIB and the other existing [EU]
financial instruments shall each contribute in appropriate fashion to the
attainment of the following three objectives’’ [i.e : Objectives 1, 2 and
3]
Art. 10 : ‘’… to maximise the stimulus provided by budget
resources…the Community assistance provided in form of grants may
be combined … with loans.. This combination may be determined in
conjunction with the EIB when the Community support framework … is
being drawn up.’’
Art 15 : ‘’the EIB may be involved in the preparation of the CSF’’
Art. 26 (Major projects) : ‘’The Commission shall appraise the project,
consulting the EIB if necessary…’’
Art. 35 : ‘’A representative…of the EIB shall participate in the work of
the Monitoring Committee in an advisory capacity’’
A tri-partite collaboration : MS, EC, EIB
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How it is implemented
•EIB participates in the programming phase of the CSF : not to
reduce EU grants allocations but to complement them with the
objective of optimizing EU intervention by grants and loans
•EIB cofinances projects (or groups of projects) with the
Structural Funds during CSF implementation
•EIB can also finance directly part of the contribution of
national/regional authorities in CSF or OP (Programme lending)
•EIB appraises, for the benefit of the Commission, projects
submitted for grants (major ERDF projects, Cohesion Fund or
ISPA projects)
A complementary role
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FINANCING IN CENTRAL EUROPE
EUR 19.7 billion (1990 - 2002)
Estonia 250
Latvia 331
Lithuania 297
Poland 5991
Slovak Rep. 1337
Czech Rep. 3760
Romania 2724
Hungary 2690
Slovenia 1225
Bulgaria 1076
From transition to pre-accession
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Cofinancing with the Structural
Funds 2000 – 2002
• In the Union : 6.4 bn
• In Candidate Countries : 2.0 bn
Cofinancing in percentage of EIB lending to EU structural actions
(average 2000 – 2002)
In the Union
: 16%
In Candidate Countries
: 22%
Average
: 17%
Combining grants and loans
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Projects evaluations for DG REGIO
From mid-2000 :
•50 appraisals for Cohesion Fund projects
•23 for ERDF major projects
•24 for ISPA projects
A co-operation agreement signed with DG REGIO
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