Mr. Nico Petris:

I agree with the Deputy. He is correct that it would always be preferable to have the cash available waiting to be deployed. What the EIB and Commission are seeking to do in this case is use their limited resources in a more efficient way and to try to de-risk projects and attract in private sector co-investment. As I understand it, and based on my experience having attended EIB board meetings, there is no shortage of private sector co-investors seeking to invest at a senior level. Institutional investors and funds are interested in investing now.