September 14 (SeeNews) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) said on Tuesday that it signed a 60 million euro ($71 million) framework loan with the Sofia municipality to promote sustainable urban mobility in Bulgaria’s capital.
"In line with the objectives of the General Development Plan of the City of Sofia and the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of Sofia 2019-2035, the EIB will finance projects that include the construction and rehabilitation of sections of the road and street network, parts of the tramway, and walking and cycling infrastructure," the bank said in a statement.
Public transport projects such as buses and the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure can also be supported, the EIB added.
"With the current construction program we will build missing sections of the inner city road network, which will remove traffic from the city center, reduce congestion and contribute to cleaner air. [...] The provided funds will enable us for a short period to build infrastructure with great environmental impact, improving the quality of life of more than a million citizens in Sofia." Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandakova said in the statement.
($ = 0.8456 euro)