Following Decision No 1080/2011/EU, the Commission established an EU Platform for Blending in External Cooperation with a view to optimising the functioning of mechanisms for the blending of grants and loans outside the Union in particular in implementing the general budget of the Union and EIB loans respectively, and exchanging best practices on governance and on evaluation criteria at project level.

Decision No 1080/2011/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 granting an EU guarantee to the European Investment Bank against losses under loans and loan guarantees for projects outside the Union and repealing Decision No 633/2009/EC (OJ L 280, 27.10.2011, p. 1).

The lending operations covered by the Fund relate to three different instruments which benefit from a guarantee from the European Union budget: guarantees to the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the loans or loan guarantees to operations in third countries, Euratom lending to third countries and EU Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) loans to third countries.

[4] Decision No 1080/2011/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 granting an EU guarantee to the European Investment Bank against losses under loans and loan guarantees for projects outside the Union and repealing Decision No 633/2009/EC, OJ L 280, 27.10.2011, p. 1.

A closer look at the US dollar assets of Union credit institutions shows that US dollars are mainly used for four purposes: (i) loans in US dollars to non-financial corporations (international trade and project financing), with some limited exposure also to the commercial and public sectors in the US; (ii) interbank lending (secured and unsecured), which is usually short-term; (iii) cash reserves on deposit at the Federal Reserve; and (iv) trading activities of Union credit institutions.

Calls on the Union to promote its web of SMEs – which are at the forefront of job creation – by facilitating their access to credit, notably through support for guarantee schemes and the creation of new standard products to combine loans and equity for smaller companies; calls on the Union to create an EU Guarantee Fund for SMEs; also calls for an evaluation of existing funding schemes, especially the CIP programme, and for dedicated efforts to make EU-backed loans accessible to businesses in all Member States and to develop services to SMEs and social dialogue structures;