The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Intesa Sanpaolo Group have signed six new agreements to provide medium and long-term finance totalling EUR 670 million to Italian businesses. This initiative reflects the close relationship between the EIB and Intesa Sanpaolo and is ultimately intended to strengthen the support offered to Italy's productive sector, to mitigate the effects of the financial crisis and help with the incipient recovery process. Within the ceiling of EUR 670m made available by the EIB, six sectors were identified for lending that will involve in particular a number of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group companies. In addition to the finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps, some of the loans will be made available for social activities and the tertiary sector via Banca Prossima, some for investment by businesses in renewable energy programmes, and some for financing enterprise networks.