The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved a EUR 150 million loan for expanding the Port of Barcelona. EIB Vice-President Carlos da Silva Costa and the Chairman of the Barcelona Port Authority, Jordi Valls, signed the finance contract in Barcelona on December 9

The loan will help to finance the expansion of the port, including:

• The enlargement of the South Quay (site of the Barcelona container terminal) and the relocation of the company CLH’s berths
• The relocation of Port Nou terminal’s activity to the Adossat Quay and construction of a new short sea shipping terminal at the Costa Quay
• The building of 500 metres of quayside with a depth of 16.5 metres and 37 hectares of new terminal area at the Prat Quay, along with the construction of road and rail links.

Since 2001, under previous agreements with the EIB, the Port of Barcelona has received a total of EUR 390 million through eight different loans.

The European Investment Bank is the long-term financing institution of the European Union (EU), working to further European objectives. Created in 1957, it operates in the EU’s 27 Member States and in over 130 other countries across the world. The Bank’s financing is geared to well-defined European policies.

Trans-European transport networks (TENs) are one of the EU’s priorities owing to the contribution they make to fostering Europe’s economic and social integration, the free movement of persons and goods and the development of the Union’s less favoured areas.

ThePort of Barcelona is Catalonia’s main transport and logistics hub. With 112 shipping lines operated by 163 companies providing regular connections to 825 ports on five continents, it is by far Spain’s leading international port.