(ANSA) - BRUSSELS - The European Investment Fund (EIF) and Raiffeisenbank (Bulgaria) EAD, a subsidiary of Raiffeisen Bank International AG, have signed a guarantee agreement to increase lending to innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small mid-caps in Bulgaria. This transaction benefits from the support of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the heart of the Investment Plan for Europe. The agreement will allow Raiffeisenbank to provide 35 million euros of loans to innovative SMEs in Bulgaria over the next 2 years. The loan comes under the Horizon 2020 programme's InnovFin initiative. "For the second time in less than half a year, Bulgaria taps into the guarantee provided under the Investment Plan, this time for 35 million euros", the European Commission Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva, said. "This agreement is again for what matters the most - support for SMEs which create most of the new jobs in Europe. I commend this pro-activity and wish all the success to the companies that will take advantage of this opportunity" Georgieva added. (ANSA).