PAIS VASCO REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Loan to finance investments carried out by the regional government of the Basque Country within its 2014-20 operating programme and in the areas of water infrastructure and urban regeneration

The project is a multi-sector framework loan supporting the sustainable development of the Basque Country's economy incorporating three components: (i) co-financing selected regional operational programmes (ROPs) for the 2014-2020 programming period; (ii) a regional energy-efficiency and urban rehabilitation programme, and (iii) selected projects under the regional investment plan in the flood prevention, water supply and sanitation sectors.

The Basque Country as a Spanish region is obliged by national legislation to transpose the relevant EU directives (Directives 2011/92/EU and 2001/42/EC) into national environmental legislation. The Bank's appraisal will focus on the promoter's environmental management capacity to properly apply the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive (2001/42/EC), the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive (2011/92/EU), and the requirements of the Habitats and Birds Directives where appropriate. All relevant key documents for the project will be published, in line with the Bank's disclosure policy.

The Bank will require the promoter, as a public administration entity, to ensure that contracts for the implementation of the project have been/shall be tendered in accordance with the relevant applicable EU procurement legislation (Dir. 2004/18/EC or 2004/17/EC and Dir. 2007/66/EC), with publication of tender notices in the Official Journal of the EU, as and where appropriate. Projects with values below EU thresholds will be procured according to the provisions laid down in national legislation. Details will be reviewed by the Bank's services during appraisal.