Households that are eligible for EU aid could have money in their accounts next week.
Through the Energy Support Package, the European Union has allocated 70 million euro in grants to Bosnia and Herzegovina to mitigate the consequences of the energy crisis and enhance energy efficiency. This support allocates 50 million euro to estimated 190,000 vulnerable households and 20 million euro towards improving energy efficiency in approximately 4,000 households and about 400 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
In order to inform the public about the results and opportunities within the Energy Support Package for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Office of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina has launched the media campaign “Connected through Good” which will run until the end of February 2024. The campaign will involve promotion through electronic media and social media, online media and billboard advertising throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will also include informative sessions where the public can learn more about opportunities to improve energy efficiency in households and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises offered by the EU Energy Support Package.
The European Union continuously funds multimillion-dollar projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina based on agreements and assessed needs as identified by the respective authorities. As part of the Energy Support Package, the competent authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina are receiving direct budget support for the first time to distribute funds to citizens. The distribution of funds is underway and the authorities are responsible for ensuring that recipients receive the designated funds by April 2024. How the authorities manage the funds from the Energy Support Package will be an important indicator for establishing future support to the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As part of support for vulnerable households, EU grant funds have been disbursed in Republika Srpska to alleviate the negative socio-economic impacts of the energy crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Approximately 67,000 vulnerable households have already received funds provided by the European Union. In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Policy announced on October 23, 2023 a public call for the allocation of the EU funds to the vulnerable households. Based on the final list of qualified households, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina will decide on individual amounts per household and the total funds to be allocated to municipalities and cities, which will then make payments to beneficiaries. It is estimated that around 109,000 vulnerable households will receive EU funds. In Brčko District, the Government made a decision based on which approximately 12,500 vulnerable households received EU funds.
Regarding support for improving energy efficiency, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund of Republika Srpska issued a public call on December 18, 2023 for the allocation of funds for implementing energy efficiency measures in residential buildings and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises for the year 2023. The Environmental Protection Fund of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced public calls on November 3, 2023 for the allocation of the EU funds to citizens – owners of residential buildings, as well as micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises for energy efficiency projects, promoting energy transition, and mitigating negative consequences caused by energy crises and price increases. The Government of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued public calls on October 25, 2023 for the allocation of funds for improving energy efficiency, which ended on November 15, 2023. The final list will be published on the Government’s Brčko District web portal, while the remaining funds will be planned in the budget for the year 2024.
