European Investment Bank
At the helm of sustainable economic development
Dubravka Negre, Director of the EIB’s Western Balkans Office
The European Investment Bank (EIB) participated in this year’s Kopaonik Business Forum in panels on climate change, infrastructure and regional integration, which took place on 3 March. On this occasion, the bank presented its new environmental policy, which is a milestone in the fight against climate change and the preservation of a healthy environment. During the panels, the EIB underlined that it would continue to support the integration of the Western Balkan countries through the construction and reconstruction of regional and local roads, rail and river transport, as well as the modernization of the energy and digital network. So far, the EIB has invested over € 4 billion through various loans and donations.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) was among the first institutions to adopt a revolutionary energy policy, thereby driving the transition to an environmentally and socially sustainable economy. To this end, over the next 10 years, the bank will support an investment of one billion euro in the decarbonisation of the economy and suspend the financing of all projects which use fossil fuel and gas, ending in 2021. As the Western Balkans region is working towards accession to the European Union, the bank will support the economies of these countries to adapt their business to the guidelines of sustainable environment and social development. Also, their interconnection will continue to be assisted through the construction and renewal of transport, energy and digital infrastructure.
“We are proud to be at the forefront of one of the most significant climate change initiatives which consequences we have all felt. As the largest investor in environmental projects, the EIB has launched a new chapter in the fight to conserve natural resources in accordance with the Paris Agreement. This means that the business sector will also have to actively participate and contribute to a cleaner planet, with our help. In addition to focusing on sustainable development, one of the EIB’s top priorities is to improve the integration in the Western Balkan countries, as well as their accession in the European Union. Over € 4 billion has been invested in the development of transport and energy infrastructure in the region so far through various loans and grants,” said Dubravka Negre, Director of the EIB’s Western Balkans Office.