Dec 11 (Reuters) - Chipmaker STMicroelectronics said on Thursday it had established a 1 billion euro ($1.2 billion) credit line with the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The first 500-million-euro slice will be used to support research and development and high-volume chip manufacturing in Italy and France, the company said in a statement.
"About 60% of the agreement is focused on high-volume manufacturing capabilities, including the key sites of Catania, Agrate and Crolles, while the remaining 40% is focused on R&D," the Franco-Italian group said.
This is the ninth financing agreement between the EIB and STMicroelectronics, totalling4.2 billion euros since 1994.
($1 = 0.8555 euros)
(Reporting by Nathan Vifflin in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
