prijava
SARAJEVO, January 27 (FENA) – The Head of the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Luigi Soreca, confirmed that the European Commission has approved a financial support package for the Western Balkan countries worth €171 million, which includes planned investments in infrastructure projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) has approved a €16 million grant to support drinking water supply and wastewater treatment projects in Lukavac and Velika Kladuša.
In addition, technical assistance grants were approved to support the rehabilitation of the hydropower plant in Jajce in the amount of €750,000, as well as the reconstruction and expansion of water supply and wastewater systems in Tešanj worth €350,000.
The approved projects are part of an overall €171 million support package for infrastructure and businesses in the Western Balkans. Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia will receive funds from the Reform and Growth Facility of the Growth Plan after fulfilling reform steps from their Reform Agendas.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently eligible to receive WBIF support only under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III). By fulfilling reform steps from its Reform Agenda, Bosnia and Herzegovina would be eligible for significantly more investment and financial support for a larger number of projects across the country.
The European Commission has announced a €171 million support package to strengthen infrastructure and private sector development across the Western Balkans. Of this amount, around €92 million is allocated to infrastructure investments, expected to mobilise approximately €263 million in total investments across seven projects in priority sectors including energy, transport, digital connectivity, education, environment, and water management.
In addition, €2.9 million is allocated to four technical assistance projects in Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, aimed at supporting future investments in energy, water, innovation, and research sectors.
The package also includes €76.3 million will support private sector programmes aimed at helping small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) export more advanced products and services to the region and the EU, promoting green, circular economy, agribusiness and investments in jobs and growth, providing SMEs with access to finance by diversifying funding sources beyond traditional bank loans, strengthening public-private partnership capacities and governance in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The funding combines contributions from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III), the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), and the Reform and Growth Facility (RGF), with projects to be implemented in cooperation with international financial institutions following approval by the WBIF Operational Board.
''Investing in our Western Balkan partners is key to bringing them closer to the EU. In more than two years since the adoption of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, we have been working, including through the Western Balkans Investment Framework, to turn commitments into action. From advancing infrastructure to enhancing business development, these investments are creating real opportunities for citizens and making the EU a lived reality across the region,'' said Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement.
(FENA) A. B.
