Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Act 2020
In short
This law allows the State to participate in European financial support mechanisms established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the SURE Instrument and the Pan-European Guarantee Fund. It enables the State to enter into necessary guarantee and contribution agreements for these initiatives.
What it regulates
- The State's ability to enter into the SURE Guarantee with the European Commission.
- The State's ability to enter into a Contribution Agreement and a Fund Guarantee with the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the Pan-European Guarantee Fund.
- Payments from the Central Fund to meet obligations under these guarantees and agreements.
- Reporting requirements to Dáil Éireann regarding demands made under the SURE Guarantee.
Who it concerns
- The State, through the Minister for Finance.
- Dáil Éireann, which receives reports and approves amendments to certain agreements.
Key points
- The State can enter into the SURE Guarantee, with payments from the Central Fund not exceeding €483,401,250.
- The State can enter into the Contribution Agreement and Fund Guarantee, with the aggregate amount contributed or paid not exceeding €167,500,000.
- The Minister for Finance must report to Dáil Éireann within one month of the first demand under the SURE Guarantee and annually thereafter, detailing sums demanded, paid, and repaid.
- Any amendments to the Contribution Agreement or Fund Guarantee must be approved by a resolution of Dáil Éireann.
Legal text
Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Act 2020 Skip to content Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Gaeilge Léim go dtí an t-ábhar Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach English Gaeilge English Produced by the Office of the Attorney General Táirgthe ag Oifig an Ard-Aighne Home Legislation Acts of the Oireachtas Statutory Instruments Pre-1922 Legislation Constitution External Resources Bills (Houses of the Oireachtas) Iris Oifigiúil / Official Gazette Revised Acts (LRC) Classified List of Legislation (LRC) Translations (acts.
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- ie)Aistriúcháin (Tithe an Oireachtais) Foilseacháin Rialtais ar Díol Dlí AE (EUR-Lex) CCanna (Ceisteanna Coitianta) Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach Cuardach TitleTeideal Year(
- s)or rangeBliain nó blianta nó raon TypeCineál All Legislation Acts Statutory Instruments Advanced SearchCuardach Casta HomeBaile ActsAchtanna 2020 Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Act 2020 Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Act 2020 Permanent Page URL View by SectionAmharc de réir Ailt View Full ActAmharc ar an Acht Iomlán Bill History Stair Bille Commencement, Amendments, SIs made under the Act Tosach Feidhme, Leasuithe, IRí arna ndéanamh faoin Acht Open PDFOscail PDF Print Full ActPriontáil an tAcht Iomlán Number 4 of 2020 FINANCIAL PROVISIONS (COVID-19) ACT 2020 CONTENTS 1. Definitions 2. Application of section 8 3. SURE Guarantee may be entered into by State 4. Payments out of Central Fund related to SURE Guarantee 5. Payment into Exchequer related to SURE Guarantee 6. Reporting in relation to demands under SURE Guarantee 7. Contribution Agreement and Fund Guarantee may be entered into by State 8. Payments out of Central Fund related to Contribution Agreement and Fund Guarantee 9. Payment into Exchequer related to Contribution Agreement and Fund Guarantee 10. Amendment of section 5 of Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland Act 2014 11. Provision with respect to Third Protocol to General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe 12. Short title and commencement SCHEDULE 1 Terms of SURE Guarantee SCHEDULE 2 Terms of Contribution Agreement SCHEDULE 3 Terms of Fund Guarantee Acts Referred to Council of Europe Development Bank Act 2004 (No. 37) European Communities Act 1972 (No. 27) Insurance Acts 1909 to 2018 Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland Act 2014 (No. 22) Number 4 of 2020 FINANCIAL PROVISIONS (COVID-19) ACT 2020 An Act to enable the State to participate in the European instrument for temporary support to mitigate unemployment risks in an emergency (SURE) established by Article 1 of Council Regulation (EU) 2020/672 of 19 May 20201 and, for that purpose, to enable the State to enter into the guarantee provided for in Article 11
- a)the Minister may execute the SURE Guarantee and enter into the commitments provided under that guarantee, and (
- b)the Minister shall have all such powers as may be required to do any thing necessary or expedient to be done for the purposes of the State’s performing its obligations under the SURE Guarantee. Payments out of Central Fund related to SURE Guarantee 4. There may be paid out of the Central Fund, or the growing produce thereof, such sums, not exceeding, in the aggregate, the sum of €483,401,250, as may be required to enable the State to comply with its obligations under the SURE Guarantee. Payment into Exchequer related to SURE Guarantee 5. All moneys received by or on behalf of the State by way of repayment of sums paid in accordance with the SURE Guarantee shall be placed to the credit of the account of the Exchequer and shall form part of the Central Fund and be available in any manner in which that Fund is available. Reporting in relation to demands under SURE Guarantee 6.
- a)in the case of the statement referred to in paragraph (
- a)of it, specify— (
- i)the sum the subject of the first demand (and, if such has been paid by the State by the time of the statement’s preparation, the sum paid by the State on foot of that demand pursuant to the SURE Guarantee), and (
- ii)any sums repaid to the State in accordance with the SURE Guarantee during the period preceding the statement’s preparation, and (
- b)in the case of a statement referred to in paragraph (
- b)of it, specify— (
- i)any sum paid by the State on foot of the first demand pursuant to the SURE Guarantee, and (
- ii)any sums repaid to the State in accordance with the SURE Guarantee, during the period beginning on the preparation of the statement referred to in subsection
- a)the Contribution Agreement, and (
- b)the Fund Guarantee.
- a)the Minister may execute the Contribution Agreement and enter into the commitments provided by that agreement, (
- b)the Minister may execute the Fund Guarantee and enter into the commitments provided by that guarantee, and (
- c)the Minister shall have all such powers as may be required to do any thing necessary or expedient to be done for the purposes of the State’s performing its obligations under the Contribution Agreement and the Fund Guarantee.
- a)the Contribution Agreement, or (
- b)the Fund Guarantee, or both.
- There may be paid out of the Central Fund, or the growing produce thereof, such sums, not exceeding, in aggregate, the sum of €167,500,000, as may be required to enable the State to comply with its obligations under the Contribution Agreement and the Fund Guarantee. Payment into Exchequer related to Contribution Agreement and Fund Guarantee
- All moneys received by or on behalf of the State by way of repayment of sums paid in accordance with the Contribution Agreement and the Fund Guarantee shall be placed to the credit of the account of the Exchequer and shall form part of the Central Fund and be available in any manner in which that Fund is available. Amendment of section 5 of Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland Act 2014
- Section 5 of the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland Act 2014 is amended by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection
- a)the award is authentic, (
- b)the award conforms to the rules concerning competence and procedure set forth in the Loan Regulations, mentioned in that Article 3, of the Council of Europe Development Bank, and (
- c)the award does not conflict with a final judgement passed in the country concerned. Short title and commencement 12.
- i)the Union (for whatsoever reason) has not received in full a scheduled payment as and when due under a Loan Agreement from a Member State of the European Union being financed by Borrowings or it is notified by such Member State or becomes aware following an event of default under the Loan Agreement that such Member State will not or will not be able to make payment in full of a scheduled payment under such a Loan Agreement as and when due; and (
- ii)an Amount Due is, has been or will be due under Borrowings. In such an event, the Commission shall at its sole discretion determine an amount to be called from the Guarantors (“Amount of the Call”), up to a maximum of the Amount Due, to ensure that the Union has sufficient resources to make the necessary payment. In determining the Amount of the Call, the Commission shall draw any amount, which may be zero, that the Commission considers in its sole discretion, having regard inter alia to the total contingent liabilities of the Union (including under the Balance of Payment Facility) and the sustainability of the Union budget, that may be available under the own resources ceiling for payment appropriations. The Commission shall make Demands on all Guarantors. The Demands shall be pro rata to the relative share of each Guarantor in the Guarantee Contribution Key. Any Demand shall specify the Amount Due, the extent to which amounts under the own resources ceiling for payment appropriations have been drawn and the Amount of the Call and shall request in writing the Guarantor to transfer an amount equal to its Guarantee Contribution Key Percentage of the Amount of the Call (such amount being the “Demanded Amount”), in cleared funds to the account referred to in Clause 1.9. The Demanded Amount shall comply with Clause 1.4. The Guarantor unconditionally and irrevocably guarantees to the Commission the due and punctual payment of the Demanded Amount on demand and the Guarantor shall transfer the Demanded Amount in accordance with the terms of such Demand. The transfer shall occur within ten
- i)has notified its inability to meet the Demand or has failed to notify its ability (the unpaid amount being the “Additional Shortfall”), the Commission shall make a further Demand (or Demands) (such Demand(
- s)being the “Additional Demand(s)”) on the other Guarantors to pay their Adjusted Payment Contribution Key Percentage of the Additional Shortfall(
- s)(the “Additional Demanded Amount”). For the purpose of this Clause 1.7, the Adjusted Payment Contribution Key Percentage of a Guarantor means the Guarantee Contribution Key Percentage of each Guarantor adjusted on a pro rata pari passu basis the non-paying Guarantor(s), however, being excluded such that its/their Adjusted Payment Contribution Key Percentage is equal to zero for this purpose such that the aggregate of the Adjusted Payment Contribution Key Percentage of the remainder of the Guarantors is equal to 100 per cent. The Commission shall make Additional Demands on all Guarantors pro rata to the relative share of each of the other Guarantors in the Guarantee Contribution Key, as adapted so as to not take into account the relative share of the Guarantor having failed to honour its duty. Any Additional Demand shall specify the Additional Shortfall and shall request in writing the Guarantor to transfer an amount equal to Additional Demanded Amount, in cleared funds to the account referred to in Clause 1.9. The Additional Demanded Amount shall comply with Clause 1.4. The Guarantor unconditionally and irrevocably guarantees to the Commission the due and punctual payment of the Additional Demanded Amount on demand and the Guarantor shall transfer the Additional Demanded Amount in accordance with the terms of such Additional Demand. The transfer shall occur within ten
- i)the date when all Borrowings have been irrevocably paid in full, no further Borrowings may be issued under Council Regulation (EU) 2020/672 and any and all obligations of the Guarantor have been fully and irrevocably paid and (
- ii)31st December 2053. 5.3 In the event of any Demand or Additional Demand under this Guarantee Agreement, the obligation of the Commission to reimburse the Guarantor from amounts recovered in line with Clause 1. 8 shall continue until there is a reimbursement in full notwithstanding the occurrence of the Expiration Date. 6. INTERPRETATION IN CONFORMITY AND PARTIAL INVALIDITY All provisions hereof shall be interpreted, in case of doubt, so that they are in conformity with the governing law. If at any time any provision hereof is or becomes illegal, invalid or unenforceable under the governing law, the legality, validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. 7. NOTICES 7.1 Address for notices All notices, demands and other communications to the Guarantor hereunder shall be made in writing (by letter or fax or e-mail) and shall be sent to the Guarantor at: [Guarantor's address] Fax: +[number] E-mail: [e-mail] Attention: [name or department] With a copy to: European Commission Fax: +[number] E-mail: [e-mail] Attention: [name or department] or, in relation to the Guarantor, to such other address or fax number or for the attention of such other person or department as the Guarantor has notified to the Commission in the manner prescribed for the giving of notices. 7.2 Effectiveness Every notice, demand or other communication sent in accordance with Clause 7.1 (Address for notices) shall be effective upon actual receipt by the Guarantor; provided that any such notice, demand or other communication which would otherwise take effect after 4.00 p.m. on any particular day or on a day which is not a Business Day shall not take effect until 10. 00 a.m. on the immediately succeeding Business Day. 8. INTERPRETATION 8.1 Definitions In this Guarantee Agreement: “Business Day” shall mean a day on which commercial banks and foreign exchange markets are open or required to be open for business in Luxembourg. 8.2 Other agreements All references in this Guarantee Agreement to an agreement, instrument or other document shall be construed as a reference to that agreement, instrument or other document as the same may be amended, supplemented, restated, extended, replaced or novated from time to time. 9. LAW AND JURISDICTION 9.1 Governing law This Guarantee Agreement and any non-contractual obligations arising out of or in connection with it shall be governed by and shall be construed in accordance with European Union law, supplemented if necessary by the Luxembourgish law. 9.2 Exclusive Jurisdiction The Court of Justice of the European Union, in accordance with Article 272 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute (a “Dispute”), arising out of or in connection with this Guarantee Agreement (including a dispute relating to the existence, validity or termination of this Guarantee Agreement or any non-contractual obligation arising out of or in connection with this Guarantee Agreement) or the consequences of its nullity. All Clauses and terms stipulated herein have been duly noted and approved by [•][in line with •3 ] and the Commission. This Guarantee Agreement shall enter into force upon the date of signature by the last Party. Done in two originals, one for the Guarantor and for the Commission. EXECUTED as a guarantee by IRELAND Represented by: Mr. Paschal DONOHOE TD Minister for Finance Date: EXECUTED as a guarantee by the European Commission Represented by: [NAME] [POSITION] [DATE OF SIGNATURE] Schedule 1 Guaranteed Contribution Member State Amount (EUR) Kingdom of Belgium 838 224 250 Republic of Bulgaria 107 466 500 Czech Republic 374 538 500 Kingdom of Denmark 563 837 750 Federal Republic of Germany 6 383 820 000 Republic of Estonia 48 716 500 Ireland 483 401 250 Hellenic Republic 342 618 750 Kingdom of Spain 2 252 890 750 French Republic 4 406 976 250 Republic of Croatia 95 693 500 Italian Republic 3 183 786 000 Republic of Cyprus 38 114 750 Republic of Latvia 57 070 750 Republic of Lithuania 83 953 500 Grand Duchy of Luxembourg 76 856 750 Hungary 249 596 000 Republic of Malta 23 044 250 Kingdom of the Netherlands 1 441 199 500 Republic of Austria 717 215 750 Republic of Poland 930 103 250 Portuguese Republic 365 571 000 Romania 393 384 250 Republic of Slovenia 88 126 500 Slovak Republic 173 516 250 Republic of Finland 431 740 250 Kingdom of Sweden 848 537 250 Total 25 000 000 000 Schedule 2 Guarantee contribution key (the relative shares of Member States in the total Gross National Income of the Union, as resulting from the column
- to)the first demand guarantee agreement (the “Guarantee Agreement”) with the Bank in relation to Transactions entered into by the Bank for the account of the Fund (including the back-to-back arrangement with the European Investment Fund (“EIF”)). (D) The Bank shall enter into a separate arrangement with the EIF in connection with Transactions entered into by EIF in the context of the Fund. (E) The intention of the Parties is that in relation to all exposures to Transactions of EIB for the account of the Fund and/or EIF in the context of the Fund and the EIB/EIF Arrangement, all credit, market and other risks are assumed by and will be ultimately borne by the Fund and by the contributors and not by the Bank or the EIF. Consistently, the Bank will act in relation to Transactions for the account of the Fund. The Bank shall provide a dedicated internal funding line to the Bank as administrator of the Fund for the purposes of providing liquidity to and treasury for the Fund. (F) Any Transaction to be entered into by EIB and/or EIF in the context of the EIB/EIF Arrangement is subject to the approval of the Fund’s Contributors’ Committee as further described in the Fund Description. The Parties have agreed as follows: I. Definitions 1. In this Contribution Agreement: “Advance” means as defined in Annex 2, paragraph III A. “Acceding Guarantor” means as defined in paragraph 17. “Additional Contributor” means as defined in paragraph 17. “Adjusted Key Percentage” means the percentage set out against the name of each contributor to the Fund calculated by reference to the Total Contributions and the shareholding of each contributor in the capital of the Bank but adjusted such that at all times, the aggregate of Adjusted Key Percentages is equal to 100%. In the event of an Additional Contributor, the Adjusted Key Percentage shall be re-calculated accordingly and communicated to the contributors. “Adjustment Payments” means as defined in paragraph 17. “Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday or Sunday (
- a)where the Bank is open for business in Luxembourg and (
- b)where referring to a payment in euro or the determination of EURIBOR, is also a TARGET2 Business Day. “Cash Balance” means any sums held in cash by the Bank on behalf of the contributors in relation to the Fund. “Claim Event” means, in relation to a Transaction, one or more of the following events or occurrences (as applicable): (
- a)in relation to a Transaction which is a funded debt transaction that the Bank has not received any amount paid by it and/or due to it (whether principal, interest, commissions, fees, charges, indemnities, expenses or any other incidental charges in respect of such Transaction); (
- b)in relation to a Transaction which is a funded risk participation or a contingent loan transaction (
- i)that the Bank has not received any amount due to it or (
- ii)that the Bank has not received any amount scheduled or planned or expected to be paid to it, where such non payment to the Bank resulted from the limited recourse nature of such Transaction or for other reasons intrinsic to the nature of such Transaction (in each case whether such amounts relate to principal, interest, commissions, fees, charges, indemnities, expenses or any other incidental charges in respect of such Transaction); (
- c)in relation to a Transaction which is an unfunded transaction relating to an underlying debt transaction, (
- i)that the Bank has not received any amount due to it or (
- ii)that the Bank has received a demand for payment (in each case whether the amounts due or demanded or paid relate to principal, interest, commissions, fees, charges, indemnities, expenses or any other incidental charges in respect of such Transaction); (
- d)that a Transaction has been subject to a restructuring or similar process which reduces any of the amounts payable to the Bank in relation to such Transaction (whether principal, interest, commissions, fees, charges, indemnities, expenses or any other incidental charges in respect of such Transaction); (
- e)in relation to a Transaction which is an equity type operation that upon exit or disposal the net proceeds received by the Bank is less than the sum of (
- i)the amount invested or lent by the Bank and (
- ii)the Bank's cost of funding such Transaction; (
- f)in relation to a Transaction which has not fully matured, repaid in full or been disposed of by 31 December 2037, that the aggregate amount received or recovered by the Bank in respect of such Transaction is less than the sum of (
- i)the amount invested or lent by the Bank and (
- ii)the Bank's cost of funding such Transaction; (
- g)in relation to operations deployed by EIF in the context of the Fund under the EIB/EIF Arrangement that (
- i)there has been a claim event in relation to such operation as defined for the purpose of the EIB/EIF Arrangement or (
- ii)as at 31 December 2037 the Bank has not been repaid in full in relation to any liquidity advance and any interest accrued thereon under the EIB/EIF Arrangement; or (
- h)such other event or circumstance specially designated as a “Claim Event” in relation to the relevant Transaction at the time the Transaction was approved for the purposes of the Fund. If no Claim Event is designated in relation to a Transaction, then the Claim Event or Claim Events that correspond most closely to the legal nature and financial and other characteristics of such Transaction shall be deemed to have been so designated. “Contributor” means Ireland and “contributor” means, any or as the case may be, all Member States, institutions of the European Union, or institutions created by Member States of the European Union, as the case may be, which are contributors to the Fund from time to time. “Dedicated Register” means as defined in paragraph 9. “Demand” means a demand made under the Guarantee Agreement in a Demand Notice. “Demand Notice” means a demand notice as defined in the Guarantee Agreement. “EIB/EIF Arrangement” means the agreements or arrangements entered into between the Bank and EIF in relation to operations deployed by the EIF in the context of the Fund as described in Recital (D). “EIB AML Policy” means as defined in paragraph 35. “EIB Anti-Fraud Policy” means as defined in paragraph 34. “EURIBOR” means as defined in Annex 2 paragraph IV B. “Facility Amount” means as defined in Annex 2 paragraph II A. “First Payment Date” means as defined in paragraph 9. “Fund” means as defined in Recital (A). “Fund Description” means as defined in paragraph 5. “Guarantee Agreement” means as defined in Recital (C). “Liquidity Facility” means as defined in paragraph 16. “Original Guarantor” means as defined in Definitions section of the Guarantee Agreement. “Payment Dates” means as defined in paragraph 9. “Platform Rules” means as defined in paragraph 5. “Required Proportion” means the then applicable Adjusted Key Percentage. “TARGET2 Business Day” means a day on which the Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross Settlement Express Transfer payment system which utilises a single shared platform and which was launched on 19 November 2007 (TARGET2) is open for the settlement of payments in EUR. “Transaction” means an operation entered into by the Bank for the account of the Fund which is eligible in accordance with the Platform Rules and the Fund Description, including the EIB/EIF Arrangement (and which has a designated or a deemed designated Claim Event). “Total Contributions” means as defined in paragraph 3. “Upfront Payment” means as defined in paragraph 7. II. The Contribution 2. The Contributor wishes to make a commitment, and the Bank (as administrator of the Fund) hereby accepts such commitment, to the Fund in the amount of EUR 164,731,513. 30 (one hundred sixty-four million seven hundred thirty-one thousand five hundred thirteen euro and thirty cents) (the “Contribution”), of which a part may be paid as an Upfront Payment. 3. It is expected that the Fund will receive additional contributions, under similar terms and conditions (together with the Contribution, the “Total Contributions”). 4. In the context of the Fund, Contributions, and the Total Contribution shall be used to fund payments to be made by contributors under the Guarantee Agreement and this Agreement. 5. Capitalised terms used in this Contribution Agreement and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning given to such terms in the Fund Description (the “Fund Description”) included as Annex 1(A), Partnership Platform Rules (the “Platform Rules”) included as Annex 1(B). The Fund is documented on the terms of the contribution agreements, the Fund Description, and the Platform Rules. 6. The Contribution shall be used to meet Demands made under the Guarantee Agreement and any payments due under this Agreement and shall be allocated, administered, and managed by the Bank in accordance with (
- i)the Bank’s rules, policies, and procedures (save where adjustments to these rules, policies and procedures are applied in the context of the Fund and as further set out in the Fund Description), (
- ii)this Contribution Agreement, including the Fund Description, and (iii) the Guarantee Agreement. The Parties acknowledge and agree that in relation to operations covered by the EIB/EIF Arrangement, the rules, policies, and procedures of EIF shall apply (save where adjustments to these rules, policies and procedures are applied in the context of the Fund and as further set out in the Fund Description). III. Payments in cash 7. A Contributor may make a cash advance (the “Upfront Payment”) to meet Demands. Any payment in cash of the Contribution, including any Upfront Payment, shall be paid in full to the Bank promptly following request by the Bank into the following account: Bank: European Investment Bank BIC Code: BEILLULLXXX Account: Direct via TARGET2 (/RT) IBAN: LU92 9980 0000 0000 0001 The Contributor shall inform the back-office treasury of the Bank at least five
- a)EURIBOR 3M, i.e. the rate for deposits in euros for a period of three months which appears on the Reuters Screen EURIBOR3M= on the day that is two Business Days prior to the start of each relevant Calculation Period (as defined below) (
- b)minus 12. 5 basis points (0. 125%) (the “Interest Rate”). With respect to a Calculation Period, the Bank will multiply the daily Cash Balance with the Interest Rate for each day in that Calculation Period, divided by 360. The interest amount with respect to a Calculation Period, which may be negative, will be equal to the aggregated sum of the amounts of interests so determined and calculated for each day in that Calculation Period. For the purpose of this paragraph 8, “Calculation Period” means, regardless of whether the interest amount is positive or negative, the period from (and including) the first day of each calendar quarter (and including) the last day of such calendar quarter. The Contributor hereby agrees that the Cash Balance will not be segregated as described in article 3. 2.4. of the Platform Rules. The Contributor acknowledges that while there is not currently an expectation that the Euro Interbank Offered Rate will be discontinued, there is no guarantee that it will continue to be produced and published. If EURIBOR3M is not published in respect of a day for which it is required, or its publication or use is discontinued (either by the interbank market generally or by the Bank in anticipation of a general discontinuation) the Bank may replace it with another benchmark rate and may proceed to any appropriate adjustment to the spread, day-count fraction and/or calculation period, which it will determine in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner. IV. The Contributor’s Dedicated Register 9. (
- a)The Bank shall open a register (the “Dedicated Register”) in respect of the Contributor, and in respect of all other contributors to the Fund, to credit and debit as appropriate (without double counting): (
- i)the amount of the Upfront Payment and any additional cash contribution; (
- ii)payments in respect of Demands; (iii) utilisation(
- s)of the relevant Contributor’s Liquidity Facility and/or its Cash Balance; (
- iv)any interest accrued from the holding of or investment of the Cash Balance; (
- v)any sums to be debited or credited in relation to Adjustment Payments between the contributors to the Fund; (
- vi)any amounts payable by the Contributor or due to the Contributor in accordance with the allocation rules and orders of priority of the Fund as set out in the Fund Description, unless otherwise claimed under the indemnity set out in paragraph 10 below; (vii) any amounts payable by the Contributor to the Bank as set out in paragraph 10 below; and (viii) any other sums as appropriate. (
- b)On each payment date, each Contributor shall pay the outstanding amount due as reflected on its Dedicated Register. The Bank shall issue a request for payment 15 (fifteen) Business Days before each Payment Date. The first payment day shall take place on 15 December 2020 (the “First Payment Date”). After the First Payment Date, payments will occur on a quarterly basis on 15 June, 15 September, 15 December, and 15 March of each year (the First Payment Date, together with the following payment dates, the “Payment Dates”). For the avoidance of doubt, the required payments on a Payment Date in respect of the Dedicated Register do not include any Advances under the Liquidity Facility that have an Advance Repayment Date which is the Payment Date immediately subsequent to such Payment Date. (
- c)If a Payment Date is scheduled to occur on a date which is not a Business Day then it shall be postponed to the next following Business Day unless such day would fall into the next calendar month in which case the Payment Date shall occur on the Business Day preceding the scheduled Payment Date. 10. (
- a)The Contributor shall upon first demand indemnify and hold harmless the Bank if (
- i)the Bank incurs funding costs in relation to the Fund, the Guarantee Agreement, this Agreement, the Liquidity Facility, or the EIB/EIF Arrangement, and/or (
- ii)the Bank is not paid interest or other amount under the Liquidity Facility which in each case have not been paid or reimbursed in accordance with the allocation rules and orders of priority of the Fund, as set out in the Fund Description. (
- b)The Contributor shall upon first demand indemnify and hold harmless the Bank if (
- i)the Bank suffers a capital loss or negative interest on any amount of cash between the date such sum is paid to the Bank by way of an Upfront Payment, a cash contribution, or an Advance and the date on which such sums are applied to discharge a liability to the Bank under this Agreement or under the Guarantee Agreement in respect of a Demand (
- ii)the Bank incurs or suffers foreign exchange losses in the context of the Fund (including in connection with the EIB/EIF Arrangement) and/or (iii) the Bank incurs or suffers any other form of loss, damage, expenses, claim or liability in the context of the Fund (including in connection with the EIB/EIF Arrangement) which is not otherwise recoverable from the Contributor and in each case such amounts are not reimbursed in accordance with the allocation rules and orders of priority of the Fund as set out in the Fund Description. (
- c)Unless otherwise stated by the Bank when making a demand for an indemnity payment under this paragraph 10, the Contributor shall make indemnity payments under this paragraph 10 through direct payment to the Bank upon first demand, within 15 Business Days from the Bank’s written request. (
- d)The liability of the Contributor to make payments under this paragraph 10 is limited by the amount of its Contribution. If the Bank receives any amount under this paragraph 10 the Bank and the Contributor agree that they shall come to an arrangement to take this into account in relation to the Maximum Individual Amount of the Contributor under the Guarantee Agreement (as defined therein). VI. Administration 11. The Bank shall manage the payment of Demands under the Guarantee Agreements, the crediting of Upfront Payments and other cash contributions (if any) to each contributor’s Dedicated Register, the debiting of each contributor’s Dedicated Register to meet its liabilities under this Agreement and the Guarantee Agreement, the payment of Demands by utilising the relevant contributor's Liquidity Facility, and the Adjustment Payments between the contributors when an Additional Contributor adheres to the Fund and Acceding Guarantor accedes to the Guarantee Agreement. VII. The Liquidity Facility 12. The Bank will make available to the Contributor a liquidity credit facility (the “Liquidity Facility”), the proceeds of which shall be used solely for the purposes of payments under the Guarantee Agreement. The terms and conditions of the Liquidity Facility are set out in Annex 2. 13. In the event that a Demand is made under the Guarantee Agreement which cannot be funded by the Upfront Payment or by amounts otherwise available under the Dedicated Register, the Bank shall fund the amount due under the Guarantee Agreement by making an Advance to the Contributor under its Liquidity Facility. In the event that the amounts available under the Liquidity Facility are not sufficient to fund such Demand, the Contributor shall upon first demand pay such amount to the Bank. VIII. Matters Relating to Payments and Contributions 14. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Bank, as agent of the Contributor, shall be entitled to make payment under the Guarantee Agreement in respect of each Demand which appears to be valid on its face without reference to any other party and without any investigation or enquiry. In particular the Bank, as agent of the Contributors, shall not be required to investigate or enquire as to (
- i)the legality of any claim or any underlying transaction or any set-off, defence or counterclaim which may be available to any person; (
- ii)any amendment to any underlying document or (iii) any unenforceability, illegality or invalidity of any underlying document or security. 15. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Bank, as agent of the Contributor, shall be entitled to make payments under this Agreement without reference to any other party and without any investigation or enquiry. 16. Any recoveries relating to a Transaction shall be allocated and applied in accordance with the rules of allocation and orders of priority of the Fund as set out in the Fund Description. 17. If there is a change in the Adjusted Key Percentage due to the adherence of a new contributor (an “Additional Contributor” and an “Acceding Guarantor”), the Bank shall make adjustments to the Dedicated Register of the Additional Contributor and the then existing contributors (“Adjustment Payments”) such that all Demands and all indemnity payments under this Agreement including all those incurred and paid from the creation of the Fund shall ultimately be borne by each contributor in accordance with its Required Proportion as derived from the latest applicable Adjusted Key Percentage. The Adjustment Payments shall be reflected by debit and credit entries in the corresponding Dedicated Registers. The Bank, as agent of all Contributors, shall calculate the amount of all such Adjustment Payments between Contributors. 18. Each Contributor shall be a third party beneficiary of the obligations in respect of the obligation to make Adjustment Payments of each other contributor to the Fund under their respective contribution agreements but acknowledge and agree that any Adjustment Payments shall be made by the Bank acting as agent of all contributors to the Fund. The Contributor hereby accepts that it is a third party beneficiary and takes the benefit of such obligations undertaken by the other contributors to the Fund. IX. Reporting 19. The Bank shall prepare annual financial statements for the Fund. The financial statements shall be drawn up on the basis of cash receipts and disbursements. 20. The financial statements shall comprise a combined statement of account movements of the Fund, individual statements of account movements for each contributor, and additional disclosures notes. 21. The financial year of the Fund shall be the calendar year, except for the first financial period which shall begin at the time when first contribution agreements come into effect and end on 31 December 2020. 22. All amounts shall be reported in Euro. Amounts denominated in a currency other than Euro shall be reported in Euro according to the Bank’s policies and procedures. 23. The financial statements shall be subject to external audit and the costs of such audit shall be part of the fees charged by the Bank as set out in the Fund Description. 24. The financial statements shall be approved by the Contributors’ Committee. 25. Upon receipt of the financial reporting documents, the Contributor may request additional information related to the content of the documents. The Bank shall use its reasonable efforts to provide the Contributor with the information deemed necessary provided that the relevant information is available to the Bank and subject to having resources to gather such information. 26. The Bank shall provide unaudited financial statements of the previous financial year by no later than 31 March of each year and audited financial statements by no later than 30 April. X. Representations and Warranties 27. The Contributor hereby represents, warrants and undertakes to the Bank that: (
- a)it has the personal and legal capacity to contract and the performance of the obligations assumed hereunder and the execution and delivery of this Contribution Agreement, the Liquidity Facility and the Guarantee Agreement by the Contributor have been duly authorised by the Contributor and that upon due execution and delivery, the Contribution Agreement, the Liquidity Facility and the Guarantee Agreement will constitute valid, legally binding, irrevocable and enforceable obligations of the Contributor in accordance with their respective terms and will not infringe any laws or regulations affecting the Contributor; (
- b)all authorisations, approvals and consents required for this Contribution Agreement, the Liquidity Facility and the Guarantee Agreement have been obtained and are in full force and effect, no further authorisations, approvals or consents are required in connection with entering into and performing its obligations under this Contribution Agreement, the Liquidity Facility or the Guarantee Agreement and there are no restrictions or limitations on its ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by these agreements and documents; (
- c)the Contributor has obtained, complied with the terms of and has done all that is necessary to maintain in full force and effect all authorisations, approvals, licences, consents and/or budgetary laws required under the laws and regulations of its jurisdiction to enable it lawfully to enter into, to exercise its rights and perform its obligations under this Contribution Agreement, the Liquidity Facility and the Guarantee Agreement and to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability and admissibility in evidence of this Contribution Agreement, the Liquidity Facility and the Guarantee Agreement in its home jurisdiction; (
- d)the Contributor has delivered, registered and furnished such documents, instruments information and undertakings to and obtained an consent as may be reasonably necessary or advisable from time to time to comply with all relevant laws and regulations that are relevant to this Contribution Agreement, the Liquidity Facility and the Guarantee Agreement and hereby authorises the Bank so to deliver, register and furnish such documents, instruments, information and undertakings and obtain such consents (at the expense of the Contributor and upon relevant documentary evidence); and (
- e)payments due from the Contributor under this Contribution Agreement, the Liquidity Facility and the Guarantee Agreement can and will be made gross, free and clear of any withholding or deduction for or on account of tax, charges, duties, fees, expenses or impositions of whatsoever nature. These representations are made on the date of signature of this Contribution Agreement and shall be deemed to be repeated on each date when there is an utilisation of the Liquidity Facility. XI. Additional Provisions 28. Except with respect to the deposit instructions in relation to Upfront Payment and/or cash contributions described in paragraph 7 above, any notice, request or other communication to be given or made under this Contribution Agreement shall be in writing and delivered by mail, fax, e-mail or secure website to the respective party’s address specified below or at such other address as such party notifies in writing to the other party from time to time: For the Bank: Address: European Investment Bank Mandate Management 98-100, Boulevard Konrad Adenauer L-2950 Luxembourg Email: OPS-EGF-Mandate@eib.org For the Contributor: Address: Department of Finance, Government Buildings Merrion Street Upper Dublin 2 Ireland 29. All annexes to this Agreement constitute an integral part of this Contribution Agreement, whose terms taken together shall constitute the entire agreement and understanding between the Contributor and the Bank. 30. This Agreement may be amended only by written amendment between the Bank and the Contributor; provided, however, that the Fund Description may be amended only in accordance with the Platform Rules. 31. In the event of any inconsistency or conflict between the terms of this Contribution Agreement and those of the annexes, the following order of priority shall apply: (
- i)this Contribution Agreement; (
- ii)the Liquidity Facility; (iii) the Fund Description; and (
- iv)The Platform Rules. The Guarantee Agreement shall at all times be and shall be construed as an autonomous and independent agreement. 32. The Contributor shall co-operate with the Bank to complete such forms and other documentation as may be required by custodians and/or tax authorities to certify the Contributor’s beneficial ownership of its pro-rata share in any securities or other assets held for the account of the Fund. 33. Upon termination or expiry of this Agreement, it is acknowledged and agreed by the Parties that the Bank and/or EIF shall be entitled to retain such amounts as may be required under this Agreement or the relevant Annexes for payment of any fees owed to them or to satisfy and discharge any accrued or contingent obligations under Transactions or operations which remain outstanding as may be further specified in the relevant Annexes. 34. The Contributor is aware of the Bank’s policy on preventing and deterring prohibited conduct in European Investment Bank Activities (“EIB Anti-Fraud Policy”) and agrees to cooperate and promptly inform the Bank of any allegations of prohibited conduct in relation to the Contribution. 35. The Contributor is aware of the Bank’s Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism Framework (the “EIB AML Policy”). The Contributor represents and warrants that (
- i)in entering into this Contribution Agreement the Contributor acts in its own name and for its own account and (
- ii)the funds that are to be the source of the Contribution will not be of illicit origins. The Contributor agrees to cooperate with the Bank in the Bank’s due diligence and continuous monitoring activities pursuant to the EIB AML Policy. 36. The Fund shall comply with State aid rules, where applicable. To that effect, the Contributor shall cooperate with the European Commission and the Bank, in particular with the completion and submission of any State aid notification, where necessary. 37. The Contributor acknowledges that it is fully informed and aware that the Bank acts as agent for the Contributor under this Agreement in relation to matters relating to the performance of obligations of the Contributor under the Guarantee under which is it the beneficiary for the account of the Fund, as well as in relation to other matters hereunder. The Contributor hereby waives any rights or defences (if any) which it may have as a result of any conflict of interests (if any) that might arise in this respect. 38. If, at any time, any of the provisions under this Contribution Agreement is or becomes illegal, invalid or unenforceable in any respect under the law of any jurisdiction, neither the legality, validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Contribution Agreement nor of such provisions under the law of any other jurisdiction shall in any way be affected or impaired thereby. 39. The Parties shall endeavour to settle amicably any dispute or complaint relating to the interpretation, application or fulfilment of this Contribution Agreement in accordance with the objectives of the Fund and in particular the principles set out in Recital (E). For the purposes of any dispute arising in relation to this Contribution Agreement, the Parties hereby submit to the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union. This Contribution Agreement and any non-contractual obligations arising therefrom is governed by, and shall be construed in accordance with the general principles common to the laws of the Member States. 40. To the extent that the Contributor may in any jurisdiction claim for itself or its assets or revenues immunity from suit, execution, attachment (whether in aid of execution, before judgment or otherwise) or other legal process and to the extent that such immunity (whether or not claimed) may be attributed in any such jurisdiction to the Contributor, its assets or its revenues, the Contributor agrees, to the extent legally possible, not to claim and hereby irrevocably waives such immunity to the full extent permitted by the laws of such jurisdiction. In witness, hereof the Parties hereto have executed this Contribution Agreement in four
- i)viable in the long term and (
- ii)able to meet a lender’s or other financial intermediaries’ requirements for commercial financing, were it not for the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fund is designed to be a high-risk, high-impact intervention of limited time. 2. Eligible Contributors In accordance with Article 3. 1 of the Platform Rules, any Member State of the European Union and the European Commission can make Contributions to the Fund. In addition, other institutions of the European Union or institutions created by Member States of the European Union, can make also Contributions to the Fund. 3. Eligible operations Operations shall be eligible for support under the Fund if they are in line with the eligibility criteria, as set out below and updated from time to time (“Eligible Operations”). General: The Fund shall operate, to the extent applicable, in accordance with EIB’s and EIF’s respective rules, policies, and procedures, save where otherwise provided in 12 below. In the case of EIB, the impact finance mandate framework, as further described in 12, below shall apply. For EIB’s operations, the Fund shall be used according to the general cross-cutting principles applicable to the EIB’s activities, as described in Article 2. 1.2 of the Platform Rules. Types of operations: EIB, for the account of the Fund and EIF, in the context of the Fund, can guarantee or provide financing directly to final recipients (“Direct Operations”4 ). Alternatively, EIB or EIF can guarantee or provide financing indirectly through financial intermediaries (“Indirect Operations”5 ) to eligible final beneficiaries - predominantly SMEs, but also Midcaps, Corporates and public entities providing essential services in particular in health, research, education sectors that could not be financed under existing EIB Group products. Direct Operations concern direct financing/ guarantees by EIB to eligible projects carried out by, among others, SMEs, Midcaps, Corporates and public entities. For Indirect Operations, EIB or EIF conclude agreements with financial intermediaries. Financial intermediaries (“Financial Intermediaries” or “FI”) may include counterparts such as commercial banks, financial institutions, guarantee institutions, leasing companies, venture capital and private equity funds, micro-finance institutions, National Promotional Banks/ Institutions, Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV), private credit funds, alternative lenders, crowd-lenders, guarantee societies etc. Eligible Beneficiaries Eligible Operations will be primarily private sector intermediated operations, but can also include direct and intermediated operations targeted at public sector companies and entities in the area of health or health-research or providing essential services related to the health crisis. At the end of the investment period, beneficiaries of funding or guarantee from the Fund (“Eligible Beneficiaries”) shall amount to: a.Debt operations with SMEs as the final beneficiary will account for at least 65% of EGF-supported financing. This can also be supported through securitization. b.Debt operations with non-SMEs as the final beneficiary will account for a maximum of 28% of EGF-supported financing. Out of this, a maximum of 5 p.p. of EGF-supported financing can be used for debt operations with public sector companies and entities active in the area of health or health-research or providing essential services related to the health crisis as final beneficiaries. c.Venture and growth capital (through the EIF) and venture debt with SMEs and mid-caps as final beneficiaries will account for a maximum of 7% of EGF-supported financing. Specifically for operations supporting large corporates with more than 3000 employees as final beneficiaries, the following safeguards will apply:
- i)No equity investments
- ii)No ABS operations iii) Support available only for working capital and supply chain finance.
- iv)Financing only available through Financial Intermediaries with ‘skin in the game’
- v)Exposure to individual large corporates limited to EUR 250m
- vi)Only loans in alignment with Communication from the European Commission regarding the temporary framework for State Aid measures to support the economy in the Covid-19 outbreak, as amended or replaced from time to time, including regarding short loan maturities, in order to rule out strategic investment projects that could be interpreted as ‘industrial policy’. vii) Only for sectors that are in line with EIB long-term mission (innovation, environment, and SMEs support). viii) Further involve the Member States represented in the Contributors Committee on individual transactions, complemented with higher reporting requirements. Without prejudice to 12.4 below, all operations shall undergo an ex-ante due diligence or equivalent process performed in accordance with EIB’s and EIF’s rules, policies and procedures, as applicable. Geographical Eligibility: Operations with FI (and final recipients) may be carried out in participating Member States, that is, Member States that have entered into Contribution Agreements with the EIB in relation to the Fund. The contributions of any given Member State will be available for operations in all participating Member States, i.e. contributions will not be earmarked to support the operations in a given Member State. Instead, deployment will be determined based on the need and demand relative to the impact of COVID-19 and the related market situation. EIB Group will make available additional financing in the context of the Fund in all contributing Member States, aiming for a geographic distribution that is proportionate to the economic impact of the crisis, the sizes of the economies and available national and European support instruments. By the end of the EGF signature period, EIB Group will aim that its financing6 : (
- i)for the three Member States having received the most financing understood as the support by the Fund, the cumulative financing (measured by signature amounts) does not exceed 50% share of the total Fund’s financing (
- ii)for the 15 Member States having received the least financing understood as the support by the Fund, the cumulative financing (measured by signature amounts) exceeds 10% share of the total Fund’s financing (iii) underlying financing structures that are by their nature multi-country (covering two or more Member States) are not included in the above rule (i). The concentration limit shall be periodically reviewed and may be adjusted to reflect the evolving impact of the crisis and market needs in the different Member States. Any change of the concentration limit would be subject to approval by the Contributors Committee. For indirect products where the Fund’s investment will be combined with third-party resources, Financial Intermediaries will be required to invest at least the portion of their instrument provided for investment by the Fund in participating Member States7 . Investment Period: Operations may be submitted for approval to the Contributors Committee until 31 December 2021 (the “Investment Period”). The Fund will be established, provided that Member States accounting for at least 60% of EIB capital have made appropriate commitments to ensure sufficient scale and geographical coverage of the Fund. The EIB on account of the Fund and the EIF in the context of the Fund shall sign operations within the timescales foreseen by State aid rules applicable to the specific product concerned. A prolongation by 6 months could take place subject to approval of the Contributors’ Committee in accordance with the voting rules set out for key strategic changes in 12.2 below8 . Any further prolongation would be subject to unanimous approval within the Contributors Committee”. At the end of the Investment Period, following a proposal from EIB, the Contributors’ Committee shall determine whether a reduction in the outstanding commitment of the Contributors is appropriate given the overall commitments at that time. 4. Permitted Instruments The Fund may deploy financial structures in both funded (e.g. loans, equity and quasi-equity investments, risk participations, ABS purchases) and unfunded (e.g. guarantees) form. Appendixes A - E (Eligible Products) provide examples of the products that may be used under the Fund indicating the products to be deployed by EIB and EIF respectively. Additional products could be included subject to the approval of EIB’s Governing Bodies or respectively EIF’s Governing Bodies, including under applicable rules of delegation, and the approval of the Contributors’ Committee of the Fund in accordance with the voting rules set out in the Platform Rules or herein established. 5. Results Framework A results framework for the activities financed by the Fund shall be prepared by EIB (“Results Framework”). EIB shall report on the results of the Fund in accordance with the reporting framework described in Article 9. 4 of the Platform Rules, except 9.4.1. (
- iv)as the financial reporting will not follow Platform Rules and shall instead be governed by the Contribution Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, article 2. 2 of the Platform rules does not apply to operations deployed by the EIF in the context of the Fund under the EIB/EIF Arrangement (“EIF Operations”), for which a separate reporting methodology will apply. Article 9.4 of the Platform Rules apply to EIF Operations except as further specified in the EIB/EIF Arrangement Agreement. 6. Evaluation EIB shall perform an evaluation of the Fund after the second anniversary of the end of its Investment Period. This evaluation will aim at making the Fund and the operations funded thereunder accountable to the Contributors and at promoting lessons learnt. The evaluation shall be shared with the Contributors’ Committee. 7. Approval of operations All operations/ financing proposals are presented to the Contributors’ Committee of the Guarantee Fund. It is foreseen that the Contributors’ Committee shall approve the allocation of funds: (
- a)For individual operations; (
- b)For multiple operations, based on global authorisations to be granted by the Contributors’ Committee within certain parameters. (
- c)For operations that do not fall within the envisaged global authorisations. In relation to the Article 5.5. of the Platform Rules, each Contributor to the Fund is entitled to designate a member that shall represent such Contributor in the Contributors Committee. The governance provisions regarding the approval of operations are set out in Section 12.2 below. A procedure for consultation of the Commission will be applied for operations deployed by EIB, adjusted to the specific nature of the Fund. Accelerated selection and assessment procedures for existing financial intermediaries may also apply. 8. Payment of Contributions The payment of Contributions is governed by the Platform Rules and the terms of each Contribution Agreement. Contributions of Member States to the Fund will take the form of a guarantee. Member States may elect to make an Upfront Payment. In addition, EIB expects to provide a suitable level of liquidity into the structure to allow for timely payments of amounts due by Member States. 9. Fees The Contributors agree that the advances made available to the Contributors under their liquidity facility will be debited immediately to their respective Dedicated Register, the principal amount of such advances are re-payable on their relevant Advance Repayment Date (as indicated in the Contribution Agreement) and cannot be covered by utilisation of the liquidity facility and principal repayment of such advances are not included in the waterfall set out in article 10 below. The Contributors agree as well that: costs, and expenses incurred by EIB and EIF and relevant fees due to EIB and EIF, as detailed below, are payable by the Contributors and shall be paid in the following order: first, from any Proceeds and Recoveries in line with the waterfall included in article 10 below; and, second, if and to the extent that the Proceeds and Recoveries are not sufficient, any shortfall relating to: (
- i)interest accrued on the liquidity facilities made available by EIB to the Contributors, (
- ii)Legal, Auditors and similar Costs, (iii) FX hedging costs, (
- iv)negative interest on the Contributor Cash Balance and on cash disbursed by EIB and EIF, and (
- v)EIB Funding Costs, will be covered pro rata by the Contributors, in accordance with the indemnity provisions under the Contribution Agreement and within the limit of the Contribution of each Contributor and in aggregate the Total Contributions and according to the following principles: - (
- i)interest accrued on the liquidity facility made available from EIB to the Contributors: will be covered pro-rata by the Contributors who benefitted from the liquidity facility; - (
- ii)negative interest on the Contributor Cash Balance; will be covered pro-rata by the Contributors who made an Upfront Payment or an additional cash contribution; - (iii) Legal, Auditors and similar Costs, FX hedging costs, negative interest on cash disbursed by EIB and EIF and EIB Funding Costs: will be covered pro-rata by all Contributors; - (
- iv)No draw down under the liquidity facility will be allowed to cover the items set out above To operationally manage this, a portion of the total commitments will initially be reserved as a buffer to cover costs and expenses No recourse to the liquidity facility or the indemnity provisions under the Contribution Agreement will be allowed for Management Fees, and Recovery Fees, hence EIB has no recourse to the Contributors to cover shortfalls of Management Fees and Recovery Fees. Also, if any portion of Management Fees, and Recovery Fees remains unpaid under the waterfall when allocated at the end of each quarter, such unpaid amounts will roll over to the next quarter (and so forth) and will be due and payable in the following quarter (and so forth), following the same order of payment. Costs and Fees to be paid by the Contributors in accordance with the general principles above and the waterfall below Funding Costs: Funding Cost shall comprise interest determined at the rate of: (
- i)EURIBOR 3 month for operations in EUR, or X-ibor 3 month for other operations, plus (
- ii)a spread (which can be a positive or negative number of basis points) calculated following EIB's standard pricing methodology recovering EIB's cost of funding on the capital markets and its administrative costs applicable to this type of operations; with (
- i)and (
- ii)in aggregate floored at zero. Management Fee: means from the signature date of the first Contribution Agreement until 31 December 2037, the annual management fee which shall be paid by the Fund to the EIB and EIF (“Management Fee”) and shall be equal to up to 0. 5 (up to zero point five) % of the aggregate of the Committed Amounts under the Transactions subject to an overall aggregate cap of two point five (2. 5) % of Total Contributions. Committed Amounts mean the aggregate of the amounts committed by EIB or EIF in relation to operations signed by EIB or EIF for the account of the Fund which are outstanding (but excluding any outstanding defaulted amounts or cancelled amounts). The Committed Amounts shall not be reduced in the event that there has been any provisioning for losses or reduction in market value due to market value fluctuations of the relevant exposures. Such level of fees have been calculated on the basis of ensuring EIB cost coverage and EIF remuneration in line with statutory requirements. The Management Fee shall be calculated as if all the Contributors had committed on the date of the first Contribution Agreement. Legal, Audit, Consultant and similar Expenses Include costs, fees and expenses of EIB and EIF external lawyers, auditors, consultants (including in the context of the structuring of and the transactions and operations performed in relation to the Fund) and similar costs, fees, and expenses (including costs, fees and expenses to cover investment fees and costs for the investment of the Cash Balance). Recovery Fee EIB and EIF shall charge to the Fund a flat-fee recovery fee for operations that EIB or EIF needs to recover amounts or in case that it applies a restructuring. The recovery fee shall be calculated at the rate of 1% of disbursed but not recovered amounts, subject to an overall aggregate cap of zero point five (0. 5) % of Total Contributions 10. Distributions Waterfall Any cash flows received under a debt operation of the Fund (other than amounts qualifying as Recovery or Proceeds) that are classified as principal in accordance with EIB’s accounting policies shall be allocated to the reduction of the principal outstanding of the Loan or, for EIF funded debt products, the funding line made available from EIB to EIF to perform funded operations of the Fund. Loan means the loan/credit facility or facilities made available by the Bank to the Fund to provide financing for the underlying funded transactions. Proceeds mean any interest, fees, profits, and Recoveries received under the underlying transactions and, for equity transactions, any reflows (including restitution of commitment and distributions). Recoveries means moneys recovered from underlying transactions. Proceeds and Recoveries received under an operation of the Fund shall be allocated by the Bank acting on the account of the Fund at the end of each quarter 31 March, 30 June, 30 September, 31 December between the Contributors and the EIB and EIF as follows: (
- a)firstly, to EIB and EIF for Management Fees as apportioned to the quarter in accordance with ACT/360, and Recovery Fees (
- b)secondly, to EIB and EIF for EIB/EIF Legal Audit, Consultant and similar Expenses (
- c)thirdly, to EIB and EIF for FX hedging costs and foreclosure costs and for negative interest on EIB or EIF disbursed amounts, if any; (
- d)fourthly to the EIB for the aggregate interest accrued on the Contributor liquidity facilities (if any) made available by EIB and for the aggregate negative interest on the Contributor Cash Balances, pro rata to each other; (
- e)fifthly, to EIB for the accrued Funding Cost on the Loan or funding line made available from EIB to EIF and/ or in the context of the Fund; (
- f)Sixthly, up to one (1. 0) % of Total Contributions, to the Operational Expense Buffer; (
- g)Seventhly, to the reduction of the principal outstanding of (
- i)the Loan or (
- ii)the funding line made available from EIB to EIF to perform funded operations by allocating (A) Proceeds and Recoveries generated by the transactions funded by the Loan to the Loan and (B) Proceeds and Recoveries generated by the transactions funded by the funding line made available from EIB to EIF to that funding line and (
- h)lastly, save for the paragraph immediately below, to each Contributor, pro rata to their Contribution and credited to their Dedicated Register (the “Contributor Share”). No Contributor Share will be distributed before the end of a period of ten years starting from the effective date of the first Contribution Agreement. After this period, any residual Contributor Share will be credited to each Contributor Dedicated Register, save for 10% of that residual Contributor Share which will be retained by the EIB to cover for future expenses, costs and fees of EIB and EIF, in accordance with the waterfall. Except for interest accrued on the liquidity facilities, any amount not paid out of the waterfall on one quarterly payment date, unless otherwise paid under the Contribution Agreement, shall remain outstanding until there are sufficient funds to pay such amount on any subsequent quarterly payment date. Operational Expense Buffer means a buffer which shall be used to pay any shortfall in items (
- a)- (
- e)at the end of each quarter, in that order. The balance of the Operational Expense Buffer will be credited to the Contributors pro rata to their Contribution on the Dedicated Register after December 31st 2037. Payments relating to Demands Payments relating to Demands under the Guarantee Agreement, shall be treated as cash flows received under the relevant operation of the Fund, except for unfunded transactions, for which such proceeds shall be allocated to the payment of the demands made under these unfunded transactions (including the payment of any fees or costs linked thereto). Miscalculations If any mistakes or incorrect determinations (including as a result of inaccurate information provided final beneficiaries or other third parties) have been made by the EIB in relation to the calculation or allocation of any amounts under this Agreement, the parties agree that EIB shall, as soon as it becomes aware of such mistakes or incorrect determinations, rerun any such calculations or allocations in order to correct such mistakes or errors and when necessary, claw back any amounts unduly paid or distributed to any Contributor. The Fees and Waterfall sections might be discussed and revised at the first or subsequent Contributors’ Committees. 11. Amendments to Fund Description This Fund Description may be amended from time to time, subject to approval of the Contributors’ Committee of the fund in accordance with the voting rules set out in Article 5
- s)to the introduction of the Obligatory Amendments, these Contributors can engage into discussions with EIB regarding the Contribution Agreement they entered into with EIB, if the Obligatory Amendments: (
- i)prevent such Contributor(
- s)continuing to participate in the Fund in compliance with the laws and regulations applicable to it; (
- ii)require the Contributor(
- s)to increase the amount of their Contributions; or (iii) substantially increase their costs of further participation in the Fund. 12. Special Provisions The following variations from the Platform Rules or additional arrangements shall apply in relation to the Fund: 12.1 Contributors In relation to Article 3.1. of the Platform Rules, any Member State of the European Union shall be an eligible Contributor for purposes of the Guarantee Fund. In addition, institutions of the European Union or institutions created by Member States of the European Union can also make Contributions to the Fund. 12.2 Governance Acknowledging the exceptional nature of the instrument, higher decision-making thresholds than under standard Platform Rules will be applied. Decisions on the use of the guarantee for individual transactions outside the global authorisations will be taken by a qualified majority of contributions, i.e. 50% of contributors representing 2/3% share of contributions. Key strategic decisions, including changes in the product or beneficiary mix as set out in sections 3 and 4 of this Fund Description, require a supermajority of contributions, i.e. 50% of contributors representing 80% share of contributions. 12.3 Currency of Contributions and fees All Contributions as well as fees will be paid in EUR. 12.4 Due Diligence process and EIB Group processes In light of the extraordinary situation, namely the severe travel limitations, as well as the need for swift channelling of the Fund to the real economy, simplified (namely desk-top) due diligence can be used under certain circumstances. Such circumstances will be clearly spelled out as part of approval process. 12.5 Workouts and restructurings In relation to operations comprising an investment, EIB and EIF are authorised, including in the context of an insolvency or restructuring of an investee, and/or for the purposes of improving the collectability or recovery of any claims against any, and/or to avoid any default by an investee, to amend the terms and conditions of any operation supported by the Fund, and to grant any waiver or forgiveness, even if such amendment, waiver or forgiveness causes a loss to the Fund, provided that EIB or EIF has acted in accordance with its rules, policies and procedures, as applicable. Indirect Operations will envisage full delegation to the Financial Intermediary with respect to servicing of the underlying exposures. The Financial Intermediary will need to act in accordance with its rules, policies and procedures, applicable from time to time. 12.6 Guarantee servicing fee To minimise crowding out and to ensure compliance with EU State Aid Framework, some of the EIB Group proposed products will be implemented on a remunerated basis. The guarantee servicing fees will be applied and charged to the Financial Intermediaries. 12.7 Risk appetite for Financial Instruments The fund will be continuously managed so as to keep ex ante net expected loss on guarantee commitments at 20% for the Fund as a whole. The EIBG will put in place a strong ex ante risk-management system and ensure regular ex post reporting to the Contributors Committee on all matters related to risk. Risk appetite for EIB Financial Instruments The Fund is designed to be a high-risk intervention and the underlying operations are expected to present a higher level of risk for the Fund than that generally taken by EIB in relation to operations it carries out at its own risk. As a result, Article 12.3 (The Bank acting in specific circumstances) of the Platform Rules shall apply. Due to the specific characteristics of the operations to be financed or guaranteed by the Fund, EIB’s rules, policies and procedures applied to operations it carries out at its own risk shall not be applicable to the operations, including the provisions of EIB’s Credit Risk Guidelines (“CRGs”), the EIB’s Equity Risk Guidelines (“ERGs”) and the pricing and valuation methodology applicable to operations EIB carries out at its own risk. EIB shall apply the provisions laid down in the general mandate risk principles for impact finance mandates, included in the relevant section of the CRGs and ERGs. When applying the provisions referred to in this paragraph, EIB shall: (
- a)Make a Qualitative Assessment (
- i)in case of Indirect Operations of the suitability of an eligible Financial Intermediary’s risk management framework, systems policies and procedures to implement operations and enter into the relevant sub-operations or the final recipient transactions and (
- ii)in case of Direct Operations, of the soundness of the investment rationale and plausible business viability of such operations; (
- b)Set a pricing of the operations under the Fund using its expert judgement taking into account its Qualitative Assessment and consistent with the Fund’s objectives and, if applicable, after reviewing the pricing of co-financiers taking similar risk to the financial product on the operation, and State Aid rules where applicable. For these financial products, the Contributors and EIB acknowledge that there is no established market for this type of operations. The pricing of the operations under the Fund may be different from the pricing applicable to operations EIB carries out at its own risk. (
- c)For Indirect Operations, fully delegate implementation of the transactions, including the pricing of the (sub-) operations to the Financial (Sub-) Intermediaries to apply their own rules, policies and procedures. The Financial (Sub-) Intermediaries may be required to adjust certain terms or their pricing in order to pass on any financial advantage to the final recipients under the transactions. For some products, the Financial (Sub-) Intermediaries shall charge a flat fee to the final recipients. The level of delegation to the Financial (Sub-) Intermediaries to apply their own rules, policies and procedures may exceed the one applicable to operations the EIB carries out at its own risk. Whereby a “Qualitative Assessment” is defined as “the risk assessment performed by the EIB in accordance with the general mandate risk principles for impact finance mandates included in the relevant section of the CRG or the ERG, and as further described in this article”. An adjusted financial monitoring, restructuring and recovery management from what applicable to operations EIB carries out at its own risk shall be applicable to the operations under the Fund. In case of Indirect Operations, the financial monitoring, restructuring and recovery management shall be (
- i)adjusted from what is applicable to operations that EIB carries out at its own risk; (
- ii)shall be fully delegated to the Financial (Sub-) Intermediaries to apply their own rules, policies and procedures. For financial products implemented by EIF, EIF will apply its rules, policies and procedures for such financial products which may differ from the rules, policies and procedures applied to operations EIF carries out for its own operations. The foreign exchange risk arising from any conversion in the context of operations under the Fund shall be borne by the Fund. The Contributors acknowledge and accept (
- i)the risk of full loss both at the level of the Financial (Sub-) Intermediaries and of the final recipient, and (
- ii)a lack of a risk-commensurate return for the operations under the Fund. Agreed upon procedures for specific financial products under the Fund may be developed, further describing EIB’s rules, policies and procedures applicable to the specific type of operations. Risk appetite for EIF Financial Instruments Given the high risk scope of intervention of the Fund, the EIF will deploy operations under the Fund typically with a higher risk than for its own operations. Agreed upon procedures as well as the risk factors for operations will apply to EIF Operations in the context of the Fund 12.8 Special Measures Given the special purpose of EGF as a crisis response instrument, EIB may adapt its usual contractual and eligibility requirements on a ring-fenced basis to allow for operations that address the main symptoms of the current crisis like supply chain support, working capital and liquidity needs. When working with financial intermediaries under full delegation, EIB may also adapt its usual contractual requirements for monitoring, restructuring, reporting, compliance, exclusions and fraud with regards to the final beneficiaries. Any such adaptation would be clearly spelled out in the approval documents at operation level. 12.9 Negative interest rate risk There will be two main sources of negative interest rate risk in the structure: 1- Negative interest rate risk related to upfront contributions to the Fund: Some of the Contributors may elect to make an upfront contribution to the Fund. In the current negative interest rate environment for EUR, such upfront contributions would reduce over time as a result of negative interest rates. 2- Negative interest rate risk related to recoveries or repayments from the underlying operations. 12.10 Financial, operational and risk reporting As per the financial reporting requirements of the Fund defined under the Contribution Agreement, a cash based financial reporting is prepared and therefore no valuation of the operations of the Fund is foreseen. As foreseen under the Contribution Agreement, upon receipt of the financial reporting documents, the Contributor may request additional information related to the content of the documents. The Bank shall use its reasonable efforts to provide the Contributor with the information deemed necessary provided that the relevant information is available to the Bank and subject to having resources to gather such information. The Contributors Committee and the Board will receive an annual Operational Report on Guarantee Fund operations. This operational report will contain a list of every supported signed operation/contract, combined with tables showing signatures per sector, per country and expected Investment Mobilised with the associated financing multiplier. The Contributor’s Committee will receive regular ex-post reporting on matters related to risk. 12.10 EIF policies and procedures In the context of the Fund and in particular, in relation to the assessment, approval, implementation, reporting and exit/termination of operations, EIF will apply its internal rules and procedures, where relevant as modified by the agreed upon procedures applicable to EIF Operations in the context of the Fund, as approved by EIF governing bodies. 12.11 Conflicts of Interest The Contributors acknowledge and agree that EIF and EIB: (
- i)operate, or may operate, a number of mandates (“the Mandates”) that have or may have investment objectives, strategies and policies which may overlap with the Fund investment objectives, strategies and policies; (
- ii)may on its own account and/or on behalf of third parties, in the context of the Mandates, invest or recommend to such third parties the making of investments in (
- x)financial instruments of a similar nature to the Fund Investments or (
- y)Fund investments in a number of jurisdictions, including jurisdictions where the Fund will operate; (iii) may (
- x)interact in other capacities with the Fund investments (for example, as an investor for the benefit of another Mandate or under own resource investments) as well as (
- y)provide guarantees or financing to the same eligible final beneficiaries as the Fund investments contemplated herein, including in a manner where the Fund may be subordinated to, or serve as a credit enhancement for, such other investment; (
- iv)may take part in transactions in which EIF or EIB have, for its own account or for that of any of the Mandate, directly or indirectly, a material interest or a relationship of any description with another party, which involves or may involve a potential conflict with any duty it may owe to the relevant mandator; The Contributors hereby waive any rights or defences which they might otherwise have which arise or may arise from the EIF or EIB acting in any capacity as manager of the mandates or otherwise. Appendixes: Appendix A - EIB Product: Risk sharing through NPB/FI Appendix B - EIB Product: Loan Substitute Structures Appendix C - EIB Product: Venture Debt Appendix D - EIF Debt Products Appendix E - EIF Equity Products Appendix A - EIB Product: Risk sharing through NPB/FI PRODUCT INSTRUMENT 1: PORTFOLIO RISK SHARING THROUGH NPB/FI Implementing Entity European Investment Bank (EIB). Product type Risk sharing (linked) on non-granular/semi-granular/granular pool of credit exposures. Product family Funded and Unfunded risk sharing (Risk Sharing). Structure In the case of unfunded risk sharing, EIB shall issue a guarantee (the “Guarantee”) for the benefit of a Financial Intermediary (FI), such as a National Promotional Bank (NPB), for a maximum amount (the “Guarantee Amount”). The Guarantee will cover the credit risk associated with Eligible Transactions contracted with Final Recipients. The Guarantee shall constitute a direct financial guarantee and shall cover up to 80% of the losses relating to unpaid principal and accrued interest incurred by the FI in respect of loans that defaulted in accordance with the default definition. The maximum liability in respect of aggregate losses on the guaranteed portfolio shall be the Guarantee Amount. The origination, due diligence, documentation and servicing of the Eligible Transactions shall be fully delegated to and performed by the FI in accordance with its standard origination and servicing procedures, which is not possible under standard operations underlying full EIB Best Banking Practices. To facilitate urgent outreach to target beneficiaries, full delegation structures are possible under an Impact Finance Mandate with 100% risk coverage. Funded risk sharing structures (such as contingent loans) may also be carried out on similar terms. Product rationale and strategic objective Ensure uninterrupted access to finance for SMEs, MidCaps and large corporates (through e.g. supply chain operations9 ) through the provision of an capped and uncapped guarantee for portfolios of newly originated eligible transactions. It is anticipated that the access to finance supported by this instrument will contribute to preserve employment. EIB Counterparty Financial or credit institutions duly authorised to carry out lending or leasing activities according to the applicable legislation. Eligible Transactions Loans and guarantees provided by FI to Final Recipients, including: ⬤ term loans for investments, ⬤ revolving facilities, ⬤ working capital, ⬤ liquidity facilities/ lines, ⬤ short-term loans, including Supply Chain. Final Recipients SMEs including micro SMEs and innovative SMEs, Mid-Caps, large corporates or other entities facing difficult access to financing and or liquidity constraints as a result of sudden business disruption in the context of national and international measure to contain the spread of the COVID 19 virus, in particular those that: ⬤ Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (i.e. before 1 January 2020) were considered as acceptable counterparts for financing and they were not in difficulty as defined in the General Block Exemption Regulation10 . In addition, Final Recipients could also include public entities providing essential services in particular in health, research, education sectors that could not be financed under existing EIB Group products. Policy Objective Access to finance for companies affected by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related measures to contain its spreading, which has resulted in severe economic downturn triggering the escape clause of the EU fiscal framework. Provision of uniform financing support across all Contributing Member States, to complement the available national and European support mechanisms and preserve a level playing field in the single market. Geography All EU participating Member States. Currency EUR or other EU currencies depending on the targeted area of the project (possibly restricted to currencies in which EIB trades, due to treasury/liquidity reasons). Risk Participation Rate 50%- 80%. Tenor Although still under consideration, the intention is to comply with the maximum tenor requirements included in the Temporary Framework. Skin-in-the-game The Financial Intermediary would need to retain at least [20%] of the exposure to preserve an alignment of interest with the EGF. Operating model Full delegation. Project undertakings ⬤ The origination, due diligence, documentation, servicing (including potential enforcement, workout and recovery actions) relating to the underlying portfolio shall be performed by the Financial Intermediary according to its own internal procedures taking into account the applicable EU and national rules, regulations and the applicable industry standards. ⬤ The financial intermediary shall be able to demonstrate that it operates a mechanism that ensures that the advantages are passed on to the largest extent possible to the final recipients in the form of higher volumes of financing, riskier portfolios, lower collateral requirements, lower guarantee premiums or lower interest rates. Credit risk Credit risk on the underlying Final Recipients that fulfil the eligibility criteria. Credit risk on the FI with respect to recoveries, fees and clawback amounts. Given the targeted Impact Finance Mandate nature, EIB would benefit from a 100% guarantee from the Pan-European Guarantee Fund. Pricing Fixed fee in line with State Aid Laws (to the extent applicable). Risk takers Contributors to the pan-European Guarantee Fund Others An EIB Group joint and integrated approach to financial instruments/initiatives with NPB and commercial banks will be implemented. State Aid The risk sharing product will be deployed under a bespoke State aid regime modelled on the Temporary Framework as agreed with DG Competition. Appendix B - EIB Product: Loan Substitute Structures PRODUCT INSTRUMENT 2: LOAN SUBSTITUTE STRUCTURES Implementing Entity European Investment Bank (EIB). Product family Loan Substitute Structures/ Guarantees. Structure Under Loan Substitute Structure, EIB would purchase/ subscribe/ guarantee a capital market instrument. Risk taking with the support of the Guarantee Fund will be on an existing reference portfolio (or a capital market instrument), but purpose linked to the generation of a new eligible portfolio with agreed parameters and within a defined timeframe. Examples of such structures could include: ⬤ EIB subscribing to mezzanine or equity tranches of ABS securitisations in the primary market and at market conditions, beyond the rules of the Bank’s risk policy guidelines and the remaining limited capacity under the EFSI (for mezzanine). ⬤ EIB purchasing a senior non-preferred bond, qualifying for MREL (Minimum Requirement for Own Funds and Eligible Liabilities) issued by a Financial Intermediary in the primary market and at market conditions. Product rationale and strategic objective A turnkey solution aiming at supporting SMEs and Mid-Caps with improved access to finance: ⬤ Intermediated-solution: with one single operation, EIB will provide support a large number of Final Recipients; ⬤ Fast channelling; ⬤ Temporary reduction in Risk-Weighted Assets as merely a transmission mechanism to achieve the policy objectives. It would facilitate credit capacity, which the Financial Intermediary will be contractually obliged to channel to purpose-related lending. ⬤ Improved-lending terms: transfer of the financial advantage, via the Financial Intermediaries, to the eligible beneficiaries. Estimated leverage [8x]. EIB counterpart Financial or credit institutions. New Eligible Portfolio The New Eligible Portfolio that the Financial Intermediary contractually commits to build up must comply with specific eligibility criteria set under the dedicated operational programme, with a focus on Capital Expenditure and Working Capital support post COVID-19 crisis. Final recipients The Final Recipients of the new contractually set New Eligible Portfolio will include SMEs including micro SMEs and innovative SMEs, Mid-Caps, large corporates or other entities facing difficult access to financing and or liquidity constraints as a result of sudden business disruption in the context of national and international measure to contain the spread of the COVID 19 virus, in particular those that: ⬤ Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (i.e. before 1 January 2020), were considered as acceptable counterparts for financing and they were not in difficulty as defined in the General Block Exemption Regulation11 . In addition, Final Recipients could also include public entities providing essential services in particular in health, research, education sectors that could not be financed under existing EIB Group products. Policy Objective Access to finance for companies affected by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related measures to contain its spreading, which has resulted in severe economic downturn triggering the escape clause of the EU fiscal framework. Provision of uniform financing support across all Contributing Member States, to complement the available national and European support mechanisms and preserve a level playing field in the single market. Geography All EU participating Member States. Currency EUR or other EU currencies depending on the targeted area of the project (possibly restricted to currencies in which EIB trades, due to treasury/liquidity reasons). Tenor In terms of tenor, the expectation is that generally the tenor will follow the Temporary State Aid Framework in terms of tenors. Skin-in-the-game The Financial Intermediary would need to retain minimum levels of the capital structure in line with CRR rules. Pricing Depending on the characteristics of the specific instrument. Risk Takers Contributors to the pan-European Guarantee Fund Credit risk Credit risk on the underlying portfolio and potentially on the Financial Intermediary (in case of funded operations). The pan-European Guarantee Fund may cover high-risk tranches in instruments that would typically be unrated. Others An EIB Group joint and integrated approach to ABS and financial instruments/initiatives with NPB will be implemented. State Aid The Loan Substitutes is a wide category that would cover a range of products. Such products would be deployed either on market terms or under de minimis regulation or a bespoke State aid regime modelled on the Temporary Framework as agreed with DG Competition. Appendix C - EIB Product: Venture Debt PRODUCT INSTRUMENT 3: VENTURE DEBT Implementing Entity EIB Product family Quasi-equity Structure Equity-type risk financing to innovative and fast-growing SMEs and Mid-Caps structured as debt instrument with upside participation, incl. convertible loans with buyback option. Product rationale and strategic objective A solution based on the experience and demand from the existing Venture Debt product under EGFF, supporting the “real economy” and providing SMEs and Mid-Caps with improved access to financing, in particular those affected by the COVID-19 crisis: ⬤ Direct-solution: EIB will provide a tailor-made support to individual Final Recipients in each operation; ⬤ Channelling of the equity-type loans to the Final Recipients, whose growth was affected by the adverse market conditions and lack of funding support from the equity investors due to the crisis. ⬤ Although addressing a wide group of companies, focus is on those entering a growth phase before the start of the COVID-19 crisis and investing in innovation. ⬤ Sector coverage: innovation driven sectors such as life sciences, ICT and engineering innovation, which represent areas where the market gap for equity-type financing is the most pronounced. ⬤ Provision of Venture debt extends the scale and scope of the remaining limited risk capacity under EFSI. Estimated leverage at Final Recipient Level [8x] EIB counterpart SMEs and Mid-Caps facing difficult access to financing, in particular those that: ⬤ Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (i.e. before 1 January 2020) were considered as acceptable counterparts for financing and they were not in difficulty as defined in the General Block Exemption Regulation12 . This includes innovative life science companies at the forefront of COVID-19 related research into solutions such as vaccines, therapeutics or diagnostics and scaling up the productions of these solutions Eligible investments The Final Recipients need to comply with specific eligibility criteria set under the dedicated operational programme, with a focus on innovation, Capital Expenditure and Working Capital support post COVID-19 crisis. Final recipients Same as EIB counterparts Policy Objective Access to finance for companies affected by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related measures to contain its spreading, which has resulted in severe economic downturn triggering the escape clause of the EU fiscal framework. Provision of uniform financing support across all Contributing Member States, to complement the available national and European support mechanisms and preserve a level playing field in the single market. Geography All EU Member States. Currency EUR or other EU currencies depending on the targeted area of the project. Risk Takers Contributors to the pan-European Guarantee Fund Eligible Industries All industries, save for restricted sectors. Special focus on innovation driven sectors (e.g. life sciences, ICT and engineering innovation). Operating model Sourcing, structuring, risk appraisal, negotiation, monitoring and restructuring in relation to the investment made by EIB. Ideally, a fast-track procedure should be applied for these operations. Project undertakings The portfolio to cover large number of EU Member States to create a diversified portfolio. Pricing The product will be priced at market terms. State Aid The venture debt product will be deployed on market terms or following bespoke State aid regime modelled on the Temporary Framework as agreed with DG Competition. Appendix D - EIF Debt Products Portfolio Guarantees Capped Guarantee Product description and policy rationale The outbreak of COVID-19 is currently affecting EU supply chains and straining solvency of SMEs and mid-caps from every industry with an economic outlook bound to deteriorate further. The capped guarantee aims to improve access to finance for enterprises through limited capital relief and loss protection for portfolios of newly originated eligible transactions, as well as refinancing of existing SME and mid-cap obligations. The instrument is suitable for large, granular and homogenies portfolios whereas final beneficiaries affected by COVID-19 will be able to obtain working capital and investment loans with reduced collateral requirements. The financial intermediaries (FIs) will benefit from a free-of-charge portfolio guarantee provided by EIF covering defaults at a guarantee rate of up to [80%] on a transaction-by-transaction basis. The default coverage will be subject to an overall cap of up to [30%] with respect to the underlying portfolio. The recoveries on defaulted transactions will be shared pari passu by the FI and the EIF in the same proportion as the default cover [i.e. 80%]. Amounts committed by EIF (the Guarantor) to FIs can be reallocated in order to optimise the resource utilisation. The re-allocation can be across products (capped vs uncapped, debt vs equity) and geographies. Financial Intermediaries Any type of financial intermediary, including commercial banks, guarantee societies, microfinance institutions, ethical banks, National Promotional Banks or Institutions and other publicly owned intermediaries, alternative lenders, crowdlenders, debt funds, SPVs, leasing companies and any other financial intermediaries authorised to lend. Benefits for enterprises Reduced collateral requirements, reduced standard credit risk premium on the guaranteed portion of the loan, extended the maturities. Guarantee rate [up to 80%] Cap rate [up to 30%] The cap rate is the aggregate net amount which the Guarantor is liable to pay under the guarantee. Guarantee premium The EIF aims to deploy the capped guarantee free-of-charge. To ensure the sustainable implementation of the product, the EIF may charge an admin fee to the financial intermediaries. The pricing would also be subject to alignment of the guarantee instrument with State Aid rules. Beneficiary SMEs (up to 249 employees), small mid-caps (up to 500 employees), large mid-caps (up to 3000 employees) sole proprietors, individual farmers and agricultural enterprises will be eligible to benefit from the uncapped guarantee. For avoidance of doubt, sole proprietors and individual farmers are eligible. Structure Risk takers Contributors to the pan-European Guarantee Fund. Eligible financing Investment loans, leasing, working capital revolving credit lines (including overdrafts), bridge facilities, documentary finance (bank guarantees, letters of credit, bid bonds), factoring, refinancing of existing obligations, subordinated loans, quasi-equity. Max principal Up to EUR [7. 5]m Maturity Min [3] months to maximum [144] months Inclusion period [24] months The date until which transactions with SMEs and mid-caps can be originated by FIs and included in the guaranteed portfolios. Replenishment During the Inclusion period, FIs may include new transactions with SMEs and mid-caps in the portfolio to replenish the volumes of expired eligible transactions. For avoidance of doubt, losses on defaulted transactions shall not exceed the maximum aggregate