Support for the projects of small and medium-sized enterprises is a key goal pursued by the EIB in Slovenia, as these companies are an engine of growth and innovation, EIB Laszlo Baranyay said.

SID CEO Sibil Svilan explained that the bulk of the loans for SMEs will be put into a special credit fund, which is worth EUR 500m and has been set up in cooperation with the government.

Loans related to energy efficiency will meanwhile be used to supplement and upgrade existing measures meant to further investment in this area, Svilan added.

The contract signed today has raised the total amount of loans approved by the EIB for SID to around EUR 1bn, the press release published on the EIB's website says.