Refurbishing windows and doors, buying new boilers for apartments or houses as well as investments in energy-saving technologies will be easier thanks to the EU funds.
This possibility was enabled through the EU-funded Regional Energy Efficiency Programme Plus (REEP Plus) for the Western Balkans and thanks to the establishment of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) EUR 85 million Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF) for the region.
This initiative combines credit lines and EU grants to support such investments, help economic growth, enhance energy security and decrease emissions. Opportunities under the REEP Plus and GEFF were presented on 10 April in Sarajevo on the occasion of marking the launch of a new credit line with the financial institution ‘Partner MicroCredit Foundation’ who joined the programme after Unicredit Mostar, Unicredit Banja Luka and Sparkasse banks.
Andrea Vera, Head of Operations Section for Economic Development, Infrastructure and Natural Resources at the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, underlined the scope of the EU support in promoting green technologies and sustainable energy efficiency investments in the residential sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region.
“For the whole Western Balkans, the EU is contributing EUR 30 million of grants into the Regional Energy Efficiency Programme Plus (REEP Plus). This shows our commitment to help BiH and other countries in the region to green their economies through investments in energy savings and in new technologies. Thanks to a dedicated package of investment incentives and technical assistance support, the EU’s contribution for the EBRD GEFF facility for the residential sector will help bring EUR 85 million in energy efficiency loans to the region. In Bosnia and Herzegovina alone, EUR 22 million have already been committed to four partner institutions, combined with EUR 4.5 million in EU grant funds from the REEP Plus“, said Vera.
Partner Microcredit Foundation has been granted a loan in the amount of BAM 10 million to on-lend the funds for energy efficiency measures in residential sector. It is expected that thanks to this new credit line, more than 2,200 residential facilities in the territory of BiH will be able to make investments for energy efficiency improvements.
The loans combined with EU grants will be intended for funding the energy efficiency measures such as: thermal insulation of facilities, replacement of windows and doors, purchase of pellet and biomass boilers, solar collectors, photovoltaic panels, heat pumps, economic lighting and other measures that bring savings and comfort to end users.
The GEFF in Bosnia and Herzegovina is part of the Regional Energy Efficiency Programme Plus for the Western Balkans (REEP), funded by the EU and implemented in partnership with the Energy Community Secretariat. In total, the REEP Plus will benefit from €135 million of investments in the residential sector, supported by €30 million of EU grants, €1.8 million from the European Western Balkans Joint Fund, as well as €3.3 million provided by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance.
