The European Investment Bank (EIB) in 2006 already approved a loan of 200 million euros for Aquafin NV. A first instalment of 100 million euros was immediately endorsed at the time. On Tuesday February 17th, 2009 the EIB and Aquafin NV signed a new agreement for taking up the second instalment of 100 million euros. Mr Carlos Da Silva Costa, vice president, signed on behalf of the EIB, while Mr Ivo Van Vaerenbergh, chairman of the board of directors, and Mr Luc Bossyns, managing director, signed on behalf of Aquafin.

The new agreement is a result of the good cooperation between the EIB and Aquafin and again confirms the trust of the financial institutions in Aquafin as a professional partner for the development and management of the wastewater treatment infrastructure. Indeed, the company's partnership with the EIB dates back to 1994. Through six loans in total to Aquafin the EIB will have spent 1 billion euros on the water treatment sector in Flanders.

Carlos Da Silva Costa, EIB vice-president: "We are pleased that Aquafin is able to continue its investments in the water sector in the medium term with the financial support from the EIB. Our support enables the realisation of a few hundred projects for the construction and renovation of collector sewers, overflow basins, pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants spread all over Flanders. These projects have a beneficial effect on the water quality, with a direct impact on the River Scheldt, on the North Sea and on the quality of the swimming water on the Belgian and Dutch coasts. The improvement of our water quality is a challenge for the next decennia to the EIB, the financing section of the European Union that carries out EU-policy, but also to the citizens of the Union."

"Aquafin's order portfolio for the supra-municipal development and optimisation of the treatment infrastructure has never been so large", Luc Bossyns emphasises. "Following the proposal of Minister for the Environment Hilde Crevits, the Flemish government  approved in December 2008 the Optimisation programme for the supra-municipal wastewater treatment infrastructure 2010-2014, with a value of 250 million euros. As the works for the wastewater treatment in the most important conglomerates are nearly finished, the Flemish government financially supports the municipalities to speed up the development of their wastewater infrastructure. The Flemish Region will invests an extra 700 million euros into the development of the municipal infrastructure via a Local Pact with the municipalities, spread over 7 years. This means 100 million euros per annum, an investment which almost doubles the value of Aquafin's supra-municipal optimisation programme. The Flemish Environment Agency analyses together with Aquafin for which projects the municipalities can use extra support."

The agreement of the loan with the EIB is consequently meaningful to Aquafin. It shows that the company is able to find the necessary means on the financial market to realise its aims even in a period of economic pressure. Furthermore the term of the loans is adapted to the management agreement between the Flemish Region and Aquafin, which proves that EIB considers Aquafin a reliable partner.