€259m EBRD loan finances expansion of Belarus's road network

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has agreed a €259 million loan programme to finance the expansion of Belarus's road network. 

The package includes a €126 million loan for the upgrade of 12 bridges, while the second part of the package will be a €133 million loan for the modernisation of the M3 motorway, which links the country’s capital, Minsk, with Vitebsk, the fourth-largest city of Belarus, in the north-east. The funds will be used for the rehabilitation of a 47km section of the motorway. 

Technical cooperation funds for the project were provided by the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund and Italy through the Central European Initiative.