The environmental loan programme included a development loan to the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) for the USD equivalent of EUR 30 million. From May 2011, the BCIE loan programme enabled financial intermediaries (FI) in the BCIE founding states (Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua) to refinance loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for environmental investments in energy efficiency (component 1), renewable energy (component 2) and environmentally friendly production processes (component 3) on a long-term basis and at favourable interest rates. From 12/2011 the FC measure was supported by an EU delegated cooperation (Latin America Investment Facility, LAIF) amounting to EUR 2.85 million. The use of the delegated funds was complementary to the investment component and was used by the BCIE to support the FIs in the introduction and implementation of the environmental loan programme, to finance feasibility studies or energy audits at SME level and for general promotion of the loan programme.
