Last year, the Group of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in the Czech Republic supported projects worth EUR 1.4 billion, (more than CZK 35 billion). Despite the coronavirus pandemic, it is similar to 2019. This was stated today at the online press conference by EIB Vice President Lilyana Pavlovová. According to her, the EIB Group’s operations in the Czech Republic last year helped about 8,000 companies and supported about 147,000 jobs.
Pavlovová stated that the loans provided by the bank in the Czech Republic last year amounted to EUR 1.2 billion. The European Investment Fund (EIF) subsidiary then committed another EUR 200 million in 12 operations involving capital injections, guarantees or microfinance to some 6,870 small businesses.
“Despite the economic crisis brought about by the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the EIB Group managed to keep investments in the Czech Republic at a similar level as in 2019. Together with our Czech counterparts, we provided balanced support to both the public and private sectors. in order to increase the resilience of the economy and support a fair transformation, “Pavlovová said today.
According to the EIB, last year the amount of support from the group represented 0.7 percent of domestic gross domestic product. “Last year, the European Investment Bank continued to support a number of important projects in strategic sectors key to the future of the Czech Republic. And I am very pleased that the Czech private and public sectors have been able to use this support actively and effectively,” Minister of Finance Alena said today. Schiller (for YES). “From 1992 to the end of 2020, the EIB supported investments in the total amount of EUR 23.2 billion in our country. That is roughly CZK 600 billion,” she added.
In 2020, the European Investment Bank provided, among other things, loans in the amount of CZK 3.2 billion to the Central Bohemian and Pardubice regions to support key regional infrastructure, health care, transport, social care, education, culture and energy efficiency of public buildings. The South Moravian Region signed a loan agreement in the amount of CZK 2.4 billion for the acquisition of 37 new passenger train sets.
In 2020, the Ministry of Finance also concluded a loan agreement with the European Investment Bank to finance water management projects in the amount of eight billion crowns. These projects include, in particular, support for the construction and technical upgrading of water supply and sewerage infrastructure, support for measures on ponds and small water reservoirs owned by municipalities, and support for the construction of flood protection measures. Furthermore, a contract was signed with ČEPS for almost five billion crowns for a project to strengthen the infrastructure for electricity transmission in the country and to increase the integration of renewable sources.
The European Investment Bank is an institution of the European Union that specializes in providing long-term loans. Its shareholders are EU Member States. It makes money available for viable projects and thus contributes to achieving EU policy goals.
