The European Investment Bank is aiming to increase its lending to record levels in Greece this year, EIB president Dr Werner Hoyer announced on Thursday, in an exclusive interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.
“We have transformed our investment activity in Greece, both in terms of how much we lend, and what we lend for. With three months to go, I can?t yet be precise about how much we will lend this year, but we are aiming for a record performance with lending of up to 2 billion euros,” he stressed.
It is in the area of private sector lending, nevertheless, and in particular lending supported by EFSI, that we have had the biggest turnaround, he said. Today, the Bank signed an important financing agreement with Piraeus Bank that took us through the 1 billion euros mark for EFSI backed operations in Greece, he added.
Only six big countries (France, Germany, Italy, The United Kingdom, Spain and Poland) have achieved as much, the president said: “Looking at how much investment has been catalysed through EFSI relative to the size of the Greek economy, Greece is in bronze medal position in the EU league table! This is a remarkable performance in an economy where investment has been so limited, for so long. Taken together with the EFSI transactions of our subsidiary, the EIF, we are set to mobilise 5 billion euros of new investment across the country under the Investment Plan for Europe.”
Hoyer noted that he is visiting Athens to participate in the signing of an important financing operation with Piraeus Bank, to update senior ministers and others on the progress being made by the European Investment Bank’s Investment Team for Greece and to open the EIB Group’s new and expanded office in the city.
Read full interview here.
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Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Palauenc05 License: CC-BY-SA
Source: ANA-MPA
