Projects in Slovenia

Project Summary Documents

Project Summary Documents (PSDs) are disclosed for each project prior to Board consideration. They contain project descriptions, financial details, client information, environmental issues, tender guidelines, and contact details. PSDs for private sector projects are disclosed at least 30 days prior to Board consideration and for state sector projects, at least 60 days.

Project Summary Documents 

Signed projects

Board approval is the final stage in the project approval process. After Board approval, the EBRD and the client sign the deal and it becomes legally binding. Signed project lists reflect year-end data.

Signed projects  (0.1Mb) 

Case studies

EBRD/GEF Environmental Credit Facility

In 2003 EBRD signed the first loan agreement within the EBRD/GEF Environmental Credit Facility. The Facility is aimed at industrial companies, livestock farms and small municipalities planning to undertake investments, which would reduce water pollutants entering the Slovenian portion of the Danube River Basin.

The Facility's two main components are a GEF grant of US$ 9.9 million and EBRD credit lines of €45 million. The latter are provided by the EBRD through local banks, with tenors of up to 10 years. The Facility also includes training, technical assistance and information dissemination. The first local bank to join the Facility was Volksbank-Ljudska Banka.

Vintage year for family-run vineyard

The Koreinka family’s ambition is to become a top-quality wine producer in Slovenia. Over the years it has invested whenever possible in new equipment to improve the production processes at the small family-owned vineyards situated in the Istrian peninsula. But development of the business has been slow due to limited resources. That was until the family turned to the EU/EBRD SME Finance Facility.

In 2002 the business took out its first commercial bank loan in its eight-year history. A loan of €40,000 was provided by Banka Koper to finance the purchase of new machinery. Benefiting from the long-term finance provided through the Facility, Koreinka Vineyards has been able to upgrade its operations and to bring its practices into line with EU standards.

The purchase of labelling equipment has allowed the family to automate the production process and has reduced the cost of outsourcing. New pumping equipment has led to a more efficient bottling process and has reduced the average time for bottling each grape variety from three days to one day. The new investments have had a dramatic impact on the efficiency of the wine production, helping the Koreinka family to improve the profitability of the vineyard and to produce high-quality wine.

SKB Banka d.d.

In 1994 the EBRD extended a loan of DM 50 million to one of Slovenia's largest banks, SKB Banka d.d. The proceeds were used to fund SKB Banka's sub-loans for capital investment projects, start-up working capital and acquisition of shares in companies undergoing privatisation. Later that year the EBRD took a minority shareholding in SKB Banka for €14.9 million to contribute to the bank's institutional development and to strengthen its capital base, helping it to become a significant force in the restructuring of the banking sector. In 1999 the EBRD extended a loan of €10 million to help SKB Banka further develop its housing loan activities. In 2001 the EBRD sold its shares in SKB to Société Générale.

Yulon 1, Yulon 2 and Yulon expansion

In 1995 the EBRD granted a loan of DM 24 million to the Yulon textile mill (Yulon 1) to help finance the privatisation, restructuring and modernisation of the company. The loan is part of a DM 110 million project to privatise and restructure Yulon. In the first phase, the Bonazzi Group (Italy) acquired 57 per cent of Yulon with a capital increase of DM 26 million, which was used to restructure the company's short-term debt. The EBRD loan is being used to modernise the processes involved in nylon production.

Yulon 2 consists of an EBRD equity investment of DM 10 million, representing 17.9 per cent of Yulon's capital. This project helped finance the purchase of equipment. This will increase Yulon's competitiveness by upgrading the polymerisation and nylon sections. The investment will also help expand the production capacity of the carpet yarn sector. In 2003 the EBRD sold its shares to the majority owner.

Lending further support to the expansion of Slovenia's textile industry, the ERBD provided a syndicated loan of €15 million, including €9.5 million on its own account, to Yulon in 2000. The seven-year loan is helping Yulon to increase its spinning capacity and to invest in a new twisting and heat-setting plant located in one of the less developed regions of Slovenia.

Maribor waste-water concession

The EBRD is providing a €14.8 million loan to finance the construction of a waste-water treatment plant in Maribor, Slovenia's second-largest city. The project will have a positive environmental impact, as municipal waste water from the city is currently discharged untreated into the Drava River. The EBRD loan has been extended to Aquasystems d.o.o., a private company, which will finance, construct and operate the waste-water treatment plant for 22 years under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract with the city of Maribor. Once the BOT agreement has expired, legal ownership and operation of the plant will be transferred to the city. An additional loan of €13.3 million has been syndicated by the EBRD to participant banks.