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The Western Balkans Summit Poznan 2019 took place on July 3-5, where the Ministers of foreign affairs, internal affairs and economy convened on July 4 and on the day after the heads of states and governments discussed key issues concerning Western Balkans. The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn opened the Berlin Process for Western Balkan with the participation of the Forum for Business and Civil Society.

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On 7 May 2019 in Sarajevo, the Western Balkans Enterprise Development & Innovation Facility (WB EDIF) held its second SME Forum in the region. The Forum, hosted by the EBRD and coordinated by the European Commission and the European Investment Fund (EIF), brought together key stakeholders from the private and public sector, Chambers of commerce, International Financing Institutions and entrepreneurs to discuss the challenges and opportunities for SMEs in the Western Balkans to grow and develop.

A brand new quick snapshot brochure on the WB EDIF has been prepared to give a presentation of the WB EDIF at a glance. Companies in different stages of their life have different needs where the WB EDIF support can step in with different financial instruments and support services to help them grow and develop.

New WB EDIF Success Stories booklet is now available, with new stories and interesting case studies and interviews. Providing nest-to-sky financing and support for small and medium sized enterprises in the Western Balkans.

The Western Balkans Summit Poznań 2019 will take place on July 3-5 at the Poznań International Fair. Ministers of foreign affairs, internal affairs, and economy will convene on July 4. A Leaders’ Summit will take place on July 5 – heads of states and governments of partners to the Berlin Process will discuss key issues concerning Western Balkans.

WB EDIF will be presented during this Summit, among other with the presence of a stand, promoting the various instruments and programmes it has to offer.

More information about the Summit can be found here.

WB EDIF PAG meeting will for the first time take place within the WBIF Steering Committee, taking place on 25th and 26th of June in Berlin. This is the first step in the integration process of the WB EDIF under the WBIF umbrella. During this meeting the WB EDIF will be introduced to the broader WBIF audience and showcase the main results and achievements to date.

New edition of the WB EDIF Annual Report has been released during the SME Forum in Sarajevo on 7 May, 2019.

On 7 May 2019 in Sarajevo, the WB EDIF held its second SME Forum in the region. The Forum, hosted by the EBRD and coordinated by the European Commission and the EIF, brought together key stakeholders from the private and public sector.

EUR 10m of guarantees to improve access to finance for SMEs in all Western Balkan Beneficiary Economies that will address youth unemployment in the region is now available under “the EU for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship in the Western Balkans”. Read more

“It is our pleasure to invite you to the Western Balkans Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility SME Forum on Tuesday, 7 May 2019 from 14:00 to 18.15 in the Main Hall (Level 1) of the Hotel Holiday, Sarajevo, Bosnia – Herzegovina. The WB EDIF SME Forum will open with the SME Policy Index: Western Balkans and Turkey 2019 launch session, co-hosted with the OECD, setting the stage for an in-depth discussion on the opportunities and challenges in the SME business environment. This will be followed by an interactive panel session, during which SMEs, finance providers and other stakeholders can share their experiences under WB EDIF as well as exchange lessons learned and best practices on their road to success. Read more