The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Société Générale set up a new credit line, on 19 July, of €300 million in support of investment projects by small and medium-sized enterprises in France. The partnership will enable independent French SMEs with fewer than 250 employees to contract loans with terms of at least two years throughout the Société Générale network on the EIB’s preferential terms. The new agreement comes under the €30 billion financing plan for European SMEs launched by the EIB in September 2008 for the period 2008-2011.