WBIF was established in 2009 as a joint initiative of the European Commission and partner international financial institutions (IFIs): the Council of European Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank. Other IFIs including the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau and the World Bank Group are also now participants.
The purpose of the WBIF is to promote the socio-economic development of Western Balkans countries through investments in necessary infrastructure projects as well as through encouraging private sector development. Under this framework, 137 investment projects have so far been supported with €280M grants, with more than €2.2B loans also signed to date. The WBIF pipeline contains more than €13B worth of investments.
The Mott MacDonald consortium is providing technical assistance services to WBIF beneficiaries within the transport, energy, environment and social infrastructure sectors in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.
Our input began in June 2012 and we are contributing to 16 projects in various stages of preparation and implementation. These projects are receiving grants in excess of €12M, including:
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€61M for a 400kV upgrade to the power transmission system in Serbia.
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€100M to improve regional roads in Albania.
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€70M to establish renewable energy generation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.