Overeenstemming Raad en EP over mandaat EIB in periode 2014-2020 (En)

COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Brussels, 20 December 2013 (OR. en) PRESSE 607

Council approves agreement with EP on EIB lending mandate

for the 2014-2020 period

The Permanent Representatives Committee approved today, on behalf of the Council, an agreement reached with the European Parliament on a renewal of the EU's guarantee for the European Investment Bank's external operations for the 2014-2020 period

The draft decision is aimed at renewing the EIB's mandate for lending to projects that support the EU's external policy objectives. The EU budget guarantee covers sovereign and political risks in connection with loan and loan guarantee operations, thus preventing those risks from affecting the EIB's credit standing and enabling the bank to maintain attractive lending rates

Projects outside the EU until this year represented roughly 10% of total EIB financing activities. While the bank's recently-approved capital increase will allow increased lending within the EU, its external activity is however not affected by the increase

The draft decision sets a € 30 billion maximum ceiling for EIB financing operations under EU guarantee for the duration of the EU's 2014-2020 financial framework. This figure is broken down into a maximum € 27 billion fixed ceiling and a € 3 billion optional additional amount to be (wholly or partially) activated by the Parliament and the Council following a mid-term review in 2016

Regional distribution of the € 27 billion fixed ceiling is set as follows:

–         Pre-accession countries: € 8 739 322 000

–         Neighbourhood and Partnership countries: € 14 437 225 000, broken down into the

following indicative sub-ceilings:

– Mediterranean countries: € 9 606 200 000;

– Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus and Russia: € 4 831 025 000;

–         Asia and Latin America: € 3 407 295 000, broken down into the following indicative

sub-ceilings:

– Latin America: € 2 288 870 000;

– Asia: € 936 356 000;

– Central Asia: € 182 069 000;

–         South Africa: € 416 158 000

Within the overall fixed ceiling, the EIB governing bodies may decide, after consulting the Commission, to reallocate up to 20 % of the sub-regional ceilings within regions and up to 10 % of the regional ceilings between regions

Two lists are established by the draft decision, specifying those countries that are potentially eligible and those that are actually eligible for EIB financing under the EU guarantee. Bhutan is added to the list of actually eligible countries and Myanmar is added to both lists, following developments that have enabled the EU to open a new chapter in its relations with both countries

The draft decision renews the general objectives set for financing operations across all regions, namely local private sector development, in particular in support of SMEs, social and economic infrastructure and climate change mitigation and adaptation. To reinforce the climate change dimension, the latter must amount to at least 25% of total financing operations

Today's agreement will enable the new lending mandate to be approved at first reading without further discussion,