On 27 December 2018, the Investment Plan for Europe – the Juncker Plan – backed part of a €610 million European Investment Bank (EIB) Group guarantee to Spanish bank Cajamar. The guarantee provides better access to finance for small businesses and entrepreneurs in Spain's rural areas and enables more investments in agri-food projects...
Some 15,000 rural businesses are set to benefit from this agreement. Commissioner Phil Hogan, responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development, said: "With €46 billion of additional investment mobilised in Spain, the Juncker Plan is already a success story in the country. This new agreement will bring EU support to small and medium businesses and entrepreneurs in rural areas, where a helping hand is much needed. The rural economy is a green goldmine and I'm glad that the Juncker Plan helps fulfil its potential." A press release is available here. As of December 2018, the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) at the heart of the Juncker Plan had already mobilised €371.2 billion of investment across Europe, including €46 billion in Spain. 