EU FUNDING & PROGRAMMES

• Community Programmes
   
• European Investment Bank Loans
  
  
• TAIEX Assistance Programme

European Investment Bank Loans

The EIB finances a broad range of projects in energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors. To be eligible, such projects have to contribute to EU economic policy objectives.

The EIB's clients are public and private sector bodies and enterprises. The project promoted by the public or private client must be in line with the eligibility criteria of the EIB and be economically and financially sound.As a rule, the Bank lends up to 50% of the capital required for a project.

EIB provides finances of EUR 8.7 billion under an external lending mandate for the countries (Croatia, Turkey, The Western Balkan countries) in the enlargement region in the period 2007-2013:

EIB lending in the enlargement countries takes the form of:

 1. Individual Loans

Individual loans (direct loans) are granted to projects where the total investment cost exceeds EUR 25 million (EUR 10 million in the case of ACP).

The EIB may finance a maximum of 50% of the total cost of any project.

Individual loans are available to promoters in both the public and private sectors, including banks.

2. Intermediated Loans

EIB Intermediated loans are lines of credit or indirect loans designed to permit the financing of projects with a total investment cost of less than EUR 25 million (EUR 10 million in the case of ACP).

An EIB credit line may finance a maximum of 50% of the total cost of any project.

Credit lines are granted to intermediary banks and financing institutions in the country in which the project is based. These institutions pass on the EIB funds to the promoters, generally SMEs and local authorities.

To qualify as an SME, a company must have fewer than 250 employees, an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million, and an annual balance sheet total of up to EUR 43 million.

3. Venture Capital Finance

EIF's venture capital instruments consist of equity investments in venture capital funds that support SMEs, particularly those that are in their early stages of development and those that are technology-oriented.

To support its remit, EIF has significant means available for investment, with a current portfolio of in excess of EUR 4.4 billion invested in 266 venture capital funds and an objective to invest substantially more in the region over the next years.

Turkey

The European Investment Bank has been at the forefront of investment in Turkey since the mid 1960s and remains committed to working with public and private sector promoters in the future. The EIB's mission is to support the country's economic development as Turkey moves towards integration into the EU.

Total lending in the country as of December 2006, stands at EUR 6.8 billion (of which EUR 4.9 billion since 2001). Beneficiaries of EIB funds include the public and private sectors: central and local government, local banks and industry, as well as foreign investors. Financing of SMEs and investment industry and infrastructure is facilitated through cooperation with local financial intermediaries. Activity in other sectors, such as investment in Human Capital and Research and Development, will widen the scope for cooperation during the accession period.

Since the date EU Accession negotiations with Turkey began the Bank has been preparing projects in Turkey in the following areas:

      -Energy

      -Support to SMEs

      -Transport

      -Earthquake Risk Mitigation  

      -Environment

The Bank's lending activities are governed by mandates from the EU accompanied by the EIB's Pre-Accession facility for Turkey and the Mediterranean Partnership Facility  and comprise a targeted lending volume of at least EUR 2 billion in the next 2 years helping Turkey to address the many economic challenges it faces in preparing for EU membership and contributing to high and stable growth.

For detailed information please visit:

http://www.eib.org/projects/regions/enlargement/index.htm

http://www.eib.org/projects/regions/enlargement/turkey/index.htm

TAIEX Assistance Programme

TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange) is an instrument of the Directorate-General Enlargement of the European Commission helping countries with regard to the approximation, application and enforcement of EU legislation. It is largely demand driven and channels requests for  assistance and contributes to the delivery of appropriate tailor-made expertise to address problems at short notice. TAIEX offers assistance through workshops, expertise and study visits.

TAIEX' main tasks cover:

• Providing short term technical assistance and advice on the transposition of EU legislation into the national legislation of beneficiary countries and on the subsequent administration, implementation and enforcement of such legislation.
• Providing technical training and peer assistance to partners and stakeholders of the beneficiary countries.
• Providing information
• Providing database tools for facilitating and monitoring the approximation progress as well as to identify further technical assistance needs.

 Beneficiaries of TAIEX assistance:

• The Judiciary and Law Enforcement authorities;
• Civil servants working in public administrations; at national and sub-national level and in associations of local authorities;
• Members of Parliaments and civil servants working in Parliaments and Legislative Councils;
• Professional and commercial associations representing social partners, representatives of trade unions and employers' associations;
• Interpreters, revisers and translators of legislative texts.

For detailed information please visit:

 http://www.abgs.gov.tr/index.php?p=202&l=2