September 9 (SeeNews) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) said on Monday it has provided 342.5 million euro ($378.6 million) financing to support various projects in Croatia in the first nine months of 2019.
"The EU Bank invested EUR 212.2 million in Croatian small and medium businesses, the backbone of national economy, and in the process sustained more than 47,500 Croatian jobs," the EIB said in a statement after the first ever meeting of its directors in Zagreb.
The monthly meeting of the EIB's board of directors was held in the Croatian capital to highlight the EIB's support to the Croatian economy in the light of the country's upcoming presidency of the European Council as of January 1, 2019.
"The EIB will continue to provide concrete, hands-on support to Croatia, working alongside our partners in the Croatian Government and within the business community, to strengthen sustainable growth and employment in the country," EIB president Werner Hoyer said in the statement.
The EIB noted that one of its flagship projects in Croatia is the cooperation with KBC Rijeka, a hospital and university centre in the third largest city in the country, which includes advisory assistance for preparing the project documentation as well as a 50 million euro loan intended for improving the local clinical centre and university hospital, which cater for the need of some 600,000 citizens in the area.
"With Rijeka being a major tourist destination, the project will also translate into quality healthcare for millions of Europeans visiting the Croatian seaside," the EIB said.
The bank has lent more than 6.0 billion euro to Croatia since 2001.
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