Article 2
Ceiling and conditions 1. The overall ceiling of the credits opened shall be EUR 600 million or the equivalent thereof. 2. The Community guarantee with respect to credits opened by the EIB under this Decision up to and until the entry into force of the successor decision to Decision 97/256/EC shall take the form of an extension of the global guarantee granted to the EIB under the general external lending mandate, as laid down in Decision 97/256/EC. As of the entry into force of the successor decision, the Community guarantee covering any subsequent and additional credits opened by the EIB under this Decision shall form an extension of the global guarantee granted in the successor decision. The extension of the guarantee, whether under Decision 97/256/EC or its successor decision, shall be restricted to 65 % of the aggregate amount of credits opened under this Decision, plus all related sums. 3. For the purposes of lending under this Decision, the EIB shall exceptionally not be obliged to seek non-governmental guarantees to cover commercial risk.