The European Investment Bank (EIB) has provided EUR 3.2 billion to support various sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina(BiH), and with their investment of EUR 880 million in the private sector so far, they have helped to maintain more than 100.000 jobs.
”Regarding our cooperation with local authorities in the country, the level of disbursement of funds for BiH is around 70%, which we can consider satisfactory. However, further progress with reforms essential for the European integration process will create a better investment climate, speed up project implementation and attract new investments,” noted Sandrine Friscia.
Who are the main beneficiaries of your funds in BiH? How satisfied are you with cooperation with partners, do they fulfill their obligations on time?
”As in other countries in the region, we support connectivity, energy security and better living and business conditions through financing local self-government. In the selection of projects, we are fully aligned with the European Union (EU)standards when it comes to financial and climate sustainability, social and environmental requirements. More importantly, as an EU bank, we are in a unique position to provide the most competitive financial offer that often includes loans combined with EU grants and technical assistance for project preparation, monitoring and implementation.”
EIB pays special attention to energy sustainability and renewable energy sources. This includes your support for the construction of the wind farm in Travnik. How is this project progressing and are there any new ones in this area?
”We have secured a technical grant for the Electric Power Industry of BiH, which will enable an assessment of the environmental impact of the Vlasic wind farm construction project in the Travnik region. Within the Investment Framework for the Western Balkans, the EU has already provided extensive technical support for the preparation of the feasibility study, including the implementation of initial measures, wind analysis, geographical surveys, research in the field of zero carbon emissions, the preparation of the social impact study, and the preparation of tender documents.”
