The EIF investment of €30 million agreed on 3 March is backed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the financial pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe, the Juncker Plan. It will support new development projects benefiting Italian SMEs. On 28 February, the European Investment Bank (EIB) granted Limagrain a loan of €170 million to support the seed group's research and development strategy on seed, the first link in the food chain. Limagrain is an agricultural cooperative owned by French farmers and the fourth largest seed company in the world. Altum and the EIB have joined forces for energy efficiency investments in Latvia. On 27 February, the EIB signed a €18 million loan agreement with the Latvian National Promotional Institution Altum to finance energy efficiency projects by Latvian companies. The financing is complemented by a €3 million guarantee under the “Private Finance for Energy Efficiency (PF4EE)” instrument, provided by the European Union under the LIFE programme.