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EU OKs Polish loan and guarantee plan for economy amid virus

09.04.2020 07:15
The European Commission says it has approved a Polish loan and guarantee plan aiming to support the economy amid a coronavirus outbreak.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Pixabay License

The EU executive said on Wednesday it approved the PLN 3.5 billion (around EUR 700 million) plan under temporary state aid rules it originally adopted last month.

Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of competition policy, was quoted as saying: "[The] Polish scheme approved today will enable public guarantees on loans and loans with subsidised interest rates to support the Polish economy during the coronavirus outbreak.”

Vestager added: “It will help businesses cover immediate liquidity needs and continue their activities in these difficult times.”

The European Commission said in a statement that, under the programme, Poland’s authorities would be able to grant aid to help companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak by providing liquidity support in the form of guarantees on loans and subsidised interest rates for loans.

Poland’s prime minister on Wednesday unveiled plans to throw a lifeline of at least PLN 100 billion (USD 24 bn, EUR 22 bn) to businesses hit by the coronavirus epidemic.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP, ec.europa.eu