Zakon o ratifikaciji Garancijske pogodbe med Republiko Slovenijo in Evropsko investicijsko banko (Projekt avtocest VII – Slovenija) (MGPEIA7)

THIS AGREEMENT IS MADE BETWEEN:
     
    The Republic of Slovenia, acting through the Ministry of Finance, represented by Mr. Andrej Bajuk, Minister of Finance,
    hereinafter called: the “Guarantor"
    of the first part, and
     
    European Investment Bank having its Head Office at 100, Boulevard Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, represented by Mr. Cormac Murphy, Head of Division and Mr. Gian Domenico Spota, Principal Counsel,
    hereinafter called: the “Bank"
    of the second part.
     
    WHEREAS:
    – By an agreement (hereinafter called "the Finance Contract") dated 27/30 September 2005 between the Bank and Družba za avtoceste v Republiki Sloveniji, DARS, d.d. (hereinafter called ”the Borrower”), the Bank has agreed to establish in favour of the Borrower a credit in an amount of EUR 250 000 000 (two hundred and fifty milion euro) to undertake a project concerning the construction of a new motorway section from Maribor to the Hungarian border, as more particularly described in the Technical Description set out in Schedule A of the Finance Contract.
    – The obligations of the Bank under the Finance Contract are conditional upon the execution, delivery by the Guarantor and continuing operation of a guarantee of performance by the Borrower of its financial obligations under the Finance Contract (hereinafter this “Guarantee Agreement”) and the delivery of a favourable legal opinion thereon.
    – Execution of this Guarantee Agreement has been authorised by the Parliament of the Republic of Slovenia and a certified English translation of the relevant provisions of the relevant law is attached hereto as Annex I.
    – A duly authorised officer of the office of the Attorney General of the Guarantor will issue a legal opinion on this Guarantee Agreement in the form satisfactory to the Bank.
     
    NOW THEREFORE it is hereby agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1

Finance Contract

1.01  The Guarantor declares that it is well acquainted with the terms,
      conditions and clauses of the Finance Contract, a true copy of which, as
      signed by the parties thereto, has been delivered to the Guarantor by
      the Bank.

ARTICLE 2

Undertakings by the Guarantor

2.01  The Guarantor, as primary obligor and not merely as surety, guarantees
      entirely the full and punctual performance of all the monetary
      obligations of the Borrower to the Bank under the Finance Contract,
      including all payments of interest without any limitation, commissions,
      incidental charges and other expenses and all the sums being due by the
      Borrower to the Bank under any provision of the Finance Contract.
2.02  The Guarantor undertakes to promptly furnish information to the Bank on
      legislation or the regulatory framework affecting the Borrower, which
      may have an impact on the implementation of the Project.

ARTICLE 3

Enforcement of Guarantee

3.01  Demand may be made under this Guarantee Agreement as soon as the
      Borrower has not performed all or part of the obligations guaranteed
      pursuant to Article 2.01 of this Guarantee Agreement.
3.02  The Guarantor hereby waives irrevocably any objection or exception in
      law to the total or partial enforcement of this Guarantee Agreement. It
      undertakes to perform its obligations upon first written demand by the
      Bank whenever such demand is made and to pay the sums due without any
      limitation, retention or condition, without the Bank having to furnish
      any special evidence in support of its request other than the reason for
      the demand under this Guarantee Agreement. In particular, the Bank is
      not bound to prove that it has taken any action against the Borrower; it
      is not obliged, prior to the enforcement of this Guarantee Agreement, to
      realise securities or to enforce any other security that the Borrower or
      a third party may have constituted.
3.03  The payment by the Guarantor shall fall due on the tenth Business Day
      following that on which demand is made.
      For the purpose of this Guarantee Agreement “Business Day” means a day
      on which banks are open for business in Luxembourg and Ljubljana.
3.04  In the event of the Bank making demand, the Guarantor shall have the
      right to discharge immediately, under the conditions set out in the
      Finance Contract, all the monetary obligations of the Borrower under the
      Finance Contract which are still outstanding at the time of such
      discharge.

ARTICLE 4

Subrogation

4.01  When the Guarantor has made a payment to the Bank, it is subrogated, to
      the extent of such payment, to the rights and actions relating to the
      said payment that the Bank has against the Borrower; this right of
      subrogation shall not be invoked to the detriment of the Bank.

ARTICLE 5

Information

5.01  The Guarantor shall inform the Bank forthwith of any fact or event
      likely to jeopardise the performance of its obligations under this
      Guarantee Agreement.
5.02  The Guarantor shall notify the Bank of the completion of the procedures
      necessary in the Republic of Slovenia to the entry into force of the
      Guarantee Agreement.

ARTICLE 6

Modification of the Finance Contract

6.01  The Bank may agree to and shall notify the Guarantor of amendments made
      to the Finance Contract which do not increase the amounts payable by the
      Borrower thereunder.
      The Bank may grant the Borrower extensions of time of up to three months
      in respect of each repayment of principal or payment of interest and any
      other incidental expenses as it sees fit. Any such extension of time
      shall be notified to the Guarantor.
      Any modifications in the Finance Contract other than those referred to
      in the previous two paragraphs of this Article 6 shall be submitted for
      approval to the Guarantor. The latter may refuse its approval only if
      the proposed modifications are likely to be prejudicial to it in its
      capacity as Guarantor.

ARTICLE 7

Taxes, Charges and Expenses

7.01  Taxes or fiscal charges, legal costs and other expenses incurred in the
      execution or implementation of this Guarantee Agreement shall be borne
      by the Guarantor. The Guarantor shall make payments hereunder without
      withholding or deduction on account of tax or fiscal charges.

ARTICLE 8

Legal regime of this Guarantee Agreement

8.01  The legal relations between the parties to this Guarantee Agreement, its
      formation and validity shall be governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy
      of Luxembourg.
8.02  The place of performance of this Guarantee Agreement is the head office
      of the Bank.
8.03  The parties hereto submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of
      Justice of the European Communities and all disputes concerning the
      Guarantee Agreement shall be submitted to such court.
      The decision of the Court of Justice of the European Communities shall
      be conclusive and shall be accepted as such by the parties without
      restriction or reservation.
8.04  The parties hereto agree that this Guarantee Agreement is of a
      commercial nature and hereby undertake to waive any immunities, which
      they may now or hereafter enjoy in any country from the jurisdiction of
      the Court of Justice of the European Communities.
 
8.05  In any legal action arising out of this Guarantee Agreement the
      certificate of the Bank as to any amount due to the Bank under this
      Guarantee Agreement shall be prima facie evidence of such amount.
8.06  This Guarantee Agreement shall enter into force upon confirmation by the
      Bank to the Guarantor that it has received a certified copy of the
      instrument of ratification by the Guarantor.

ARTICLE 9

Final Clauses

9.01  Notices and other communications given hereunder shall be sent to the
      respective address set out below:
      – for the Guarantor:    Ministry of Finance
                              Župančičeva, 3
                              1502 Ljubljana
                              Slovenia
      – for the Bank:         100 Boulevard Konrad Adenauer
                              L-2950 Luxembourg
                              Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
      Each party may, by notice to the other, change its addresses as set out
      above.
9.02  Notices and other communications, for which fixed periods are laid down
      in this Guarantee Agreement or which themselves fix periods binding on
      the addressee, shall be served by hand delivery, registered letter,
      telegram, telex, confirmed fax or any other means of transmission which
      affords evidence of receipt by the addressee. The date of registration
      or, as the case may be, the stated date of receipt of transmission shall
      be conclusive for the determination of a period.
9.03  The Recitals forms part of this Guarantee Agreement.
      The following Annex is attached hereto:
      Annex I Certified English translation of the relevant provisions of the
      Law on the Guarantee.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have caused this Guarantee Agreement to be executed in three originals in the English language.
    This Guarantee Agreement has been initialled on behalf of the Guarantor by Mr. Andrej Kavčič, Undersecretary, Ministry of Finance and on behalf of the Bank by Mr. John McIlwaine, Legal Counsel, JU II.

This 21 day of October 2005, at Ljubljana,
    this 14 day of November 2005, at Luxembourg.

FI št. 23.200 (SI)
Serapis št. 2004 0464