Events

On 25 June 2021, the Western Balkans Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility (WB EDIF) held its first virtual Business Forum. The event was organized by the Enterprise Europe Network and supported by the European Commission and the European Investment Fund.

More than 130 participants from the entire Western Balkans region and beyond attended the Business Forum. Most of the attendees were Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), local intermediaries and entrepreneurs. The participants wanted to learn more about the existing and future funding opportunities provided by the European Commission and international financial institutions under the WB EDIF platform. The audience also had the possibility to hear about the experience from finance and advisory providers and fellow SMEs who had benefited from the available programmes.

The event was opened by a lively panel composed of representatives of the Enterprise Innovation Fund (ENIF) under WB EDIF, EBRD, Raiffeisen Albania bank and the Serbian SME BG Reklam. The speakers shared their experience from the pandemic and how the available opportunities could be utilized. The panellists shared a common opinion that the region has a very good potential, plenty of innovative ideas and creativity that can be translated into new business opportunities and growth, if the existing hurdles and market failures are adequately addressed. The general consensus was that, like and more than in the EU, the crisis in the Western Balkans can be also an opportunity to grow stronger and more resilient if companies find market niches, show creativity and innovation.

In the second part of the event an online matchmaking took place, where companies were able to meet finance and advisory providers under the WB EDIF. The meetings were bilateral and the overall feedback provided by attendees and intermediaries has been very positive.

A special thanks goes to the Enterprise Europe Network for organizing the event and to all attendees and entrepreneurs who contributed to making it a success.

Support to the private sector has been identified in the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans as one of the Flagships. The development of a robust, innovative and competitive private sector is essential for the socio-economic development of the Western Balkans and its regional integration. This requires, in particular, increased investments in SMEs and their capacity to innovate, scale-up and grow

https://wbif.eu/news-details/1st-western-balkans-enterprise-development-and-innovation-facility-wb-edif-business-forum

The webinar – Small Business Financing – was held on 27 October 2020, and presented available financing tools for entrepreneurs and SMEs in Montenegro.  This event increased the visibility of the SME financing schemes supported by the EU that are available in Montenegro and it provided advice on SMEs’ access to finance.

Speakers included the European Investment Fund, Investment and Development Fund, South Central Ventures, and more.

Please click here to find out more information.

The webinar was implemented by Expertise France, Bpifrance and Business France and supported by WB EDIF in coordination with the EU, Montenegro Ministry of Economy, Investiciono-razvojni fond Crne Gore A.D., EIF, CKBbanka and South Central Ventures.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Serbia will be able to boost their competitiveness thanks to a new EBRD programme combining targeted and grant-supported investments.

The EBRD SME Competitiveness Programme is providing a €40 million credit line that two local partner banks, UniCredit and Banca Intesa, will offer to local SMEs. In addition, borrowers will be able to benefit from European Union grant incentives worth 15 per cent of the total investment.

Find more information about the initiative here.

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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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.

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

13th WBEDIF Platform Advisory Group meeting took place on 5 December in Luxembourg, at the premises of EIB and hosted by EIF. PAG has discussed the results of WB EDIF to date and the future strategy of the platform for the benefit of the target beneficiary economies. A short movie has been created at this occasion, which will be released soon!

Today in Belgrade, the EIF endorsed the selection of five local banks (Raiffeisen bank, UniCredit bank, Banca Intesa, ProCredit bank and Komercialna bank), which will implement the “EU for Serbia – financing for SMEs” Guarantee. The event took place in the presence of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ms Ana Brnabić, the State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy, Mr Milun Trivunac, and Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, H.E. Mr. Sem Fabrizi.

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