25 February 2022
Today, the European Commission has unveiled a substantial €3.2 billion investment package to support 21 transport, digital, climate and energy connectivity projects in the Western Balkans. This is the first major package of projects under the EU’s ambitious Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, which the Commission adopted in October 2020.
The projects are designed to bring tangible benefits to all six partners in the region. Over the next years, the Economic and Investment Plan is set to mobilise up to €30 billion of investments, as a combination of grants, preferential loans and guarantees. The Plan will help close the development gap between the European Union and the region and support the post-pandemic economic recovery. The Plan will also help to deliver the broader EU Global Gateway strategy, launched in December 2021.
EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, said: “With this major investment package we are accelerating the delivery of the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans on the ground. We have identified these flagship projects in close cooperation with our partners. Better and more sustainable connections in transport, digital infrastructure and renewable energy will boost the economy, drive the green and digital transition of the region and bring a host of opportunities for people and businesses in the Western Balkans and across the EU. These investments will also speed up the integration of the region, in line with its clear European perspective.”
Commissioner Várhelyi will present the investment package to partners in the region at the EBRD Western Balkan Investment Summit in London on 28 February.
More information is available in the press release, the EIP Factsheet and WBIF Endorsed Flagships Projects Factsheet.