On Wednesday 12th July, the Western Balkans Summit took place in Trieste, Italy.
From left to right: Mr Cyril Muller Vice President Europe and Central Asia, World Bank; Mr Pierre Heilbronn Vice President Policy and Partnerships, EBRD; EU Commissioner for or European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Mr Johannes Hahn; Mr Dario Scannapieco, Vice President of the EIB and Chairman of the EIF; Mr Pier Luigi Gilibert, Chief Executive of the EIF.
Heads of Government, Foreign Ministers, Ministers of Economy and Ministers of Transport of the Western Balkans together with their counterparts from several EU Member States and high-level EU representatives discussed key areas of regional cooperation, and set out concrete measures to better connect the region’s infrastructures, economies and people.
The Western Balkans Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility was showcased during the Business Forum event under the Summit and a high-level signature event also took place to highlight the EU’s further contributions to the Platform as well as to reaffirm the commitment of the EIB Group, the World Bank and the EBRD to continue fostering private sector development in the region.
The EUR 48m includes EUR 20m for an EIF Serbian Guarantee Facility, EUR 10m for an EIF Youth Employment Guarantee Facility, EUR 15m for the EBRD’s regional SME Competitiveness Programme and EUR 3m to top up the World Bank’s assistance programme for venture capital and investment readiness.
