Report from the Commission to the Council and to the European Parliament on the borrowing and lending activities of the Community in 2004.

Abstract

The Council decisions establishing the various lending instrumentsof the European Communities require the Commission to inform the Council and Parliament each year of the use made of these instruments. As for lending activities outside the Community, the decisions adopted in 1997 and 20001require the Commission to inform the Council and Parliament on an annual basis of the situation regarding European Investment Bank (EIB) loans guaranteed by the Union budget in Central and Eastern Europe, in the Mediterranean countries, in Latin America and Asia and in South Africa. These same obligations were extended to further decisions (references of decisions are listed in footnote no. 4). In order to meet these information requirements, this report describes the operations for each of the areas concerned. To complete the picture of lending activities, it also gives a brief summary of the macro-financial assistance provided by the Community to third countries and of the interest subsidies and guarantees associated with Community loans. In addition, it provides information on Euratom’s lending activities. The tables on this report are published in a Commission Staff Working Paper. References to tables in the text refer to the Staff Working Paper.