NC COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTHCARE PROGRAMME LOAN

The project consists in programme loan to support public sector counterparties in containing the COVID-19 pandemic with health emergency response and pandemic preparedness interventions for Eastern, Central Asia and Southern neighbouring countries.

Objectives of the EIB financing are twofold: 1) The main scope of the operation is addressing the medical emergency response, for which the EIB is ensuring a fast financial support that will: a) enable the promoters to deploy the healthcare infrastructure, equipment and materials required to fight the COVID-19 expansion, increase intensive care unit capacity for patients with respiratory diseases (respiration equipment etc.), lab capacities for testing, IT and other equipment and software for logistics, stockpiling, transport, surveillance, etc,; b) enable the the civil protection sector, for example, to increase capacity for healthcare beyond the normal system, including equipment and infrastructure, hygiene and disinfection measures, examinations, screening, quarantines and other official measures ordered to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. 2) The other objective is to address the pandemic medium term response. Given the general underinvestment of the healthcare system across the Eastern, Central Asia and Southern neighbouring countries region, the programme loan could also be used to finance investments to reinforce the healthcare systems of the target countries to better respond to future pandemic threats.

The project, even if located in the EU, would not be covered by Annex II of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive 2014/52/EU, amending Directive 2011/92/EU, in relation to urban development. The implementation of the projects has to comply with the EIB's Environmental and Social principles and standards.

Any procurement procedures has to comply with the EIB's Guide to Procurement and the relevant applicable EU public procurement rules (for potential candidate countries).

This operation is covered by the ELM Guarantee.

this operations falls under the ELM 2014-2020 and if needed subsequent EC guarantees