The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing a EUR 250 million for the construction of 36 km motorway connecting Maribor and the Hungarian border. The new motorway section has a crucial importance for Slovenia as it lies on the pan-European corridor No V linking Slovenia's capital Ljubljana with the capital of Hungary Budapest.
The loan will finance the construction of dual two-lane motorway Maribor to Vučja Vas. It will cope with the increasing traffic, including the transit one, after the Slovenia's accession into the EU and it will increase the safety and smoothness of the local and international transport. The project includes also the relocation of public utility lines and the construction of access- and service roads, a toll station and a maintenance centre building.
The EIB supports significantly the development of the Slovenian transport infrastructure. Since 1990 the Bank has granted loans amounting to more that EUR 1.15 billion in this sector representing almost two thirds of the total lending provided by the EIB in Slovenia so far.
Mr. Wolfgang Roth, EIB Vice-President, commented on the loan saying: The EIB supports the construction of the Slovenian motorways and the implementation of the ambitious Slovenian Motorway Programme. The modern transport network increases the competitiveness of Slovenia and it regions as it will facilitate linkage of the country with its neighbours and deepen Slovenia's integration within the EU Single Market.
The task of the EIB, the European Union's financing institution, is to contribute towards the integration, balanced development and economic and social cohesion of the Member States. Outside the Union the EIB implements the financial components of agreements concluded under European development aid and cooperation policies.
The EIB has lent more than EUR 30 billion to projects in the new Member States and Acceding Countries of Central Europe, fostering European integration since 1990. As such, the EIB is the most important external source of finance in this region.