15 June 2021: On Tuesday, the beginning of preparatory works on the reconstruction and modernization of the port of Brčko, a project co-funded by the European Union, was officially marked. The event was attended by the Mayor of Brčko, the President of the Brčko Assembly, representatives of the European Union, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Office of the High Representative.

03 June 2021: The virtual kick-off meeting of the Tecnical Assistance project for the ‘Modernisation of Rail Route 4, Golubovci – Bar’ took place end April 2021. The objective of the EU-funded project is the rehabilitation and upgrade of the 39 km long railway section between Golubovci and Bar stations, which is part of the most important railway line of Montenegro, connecting the port of Bar with Podgorica and the border with Serbia.

24 May 2021: The European Union and the European Investment Bank (EIB) support Serbia’s energy security with the blending of €25 million loan and €49.5 million EU grant (from the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance – IPA II) for the construction of the Serbian section of the Bulgaria-Serbia gas interconnector.

19 May 2021: The Western Balkans Investment Framework held its 31st Project Financiers’ Group Meeting (PFG) due to the COVID-19 situation, as a virtual meeting, on 19 and 20 May 2021. Overall more than 100 participants from the European Commission, financial institutions (EIB, EBRD, CEB, KfW, WBG, AFD, EIF), Bilateral Donors, Western Balkans beneficiaries, Energy Community Secretariat, Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community and Regional Cooperation Council, participated in this meeting. The PFG meeting was co-chaired by DG NEAR’s Head of Unit Holger Schröder and by KfW Head of Department Klaus Müller.

17 May 2021: The European Commission has invested an additional €40 million into the European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) to help combat the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic in the Western Balkans and EU Eastern Neighbourhood Region. The capital will be used to bolster the ability of local financial institutions to support micro and small enterprises in overcoming the challenges of the crisis.

12 May 2021: Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi travelled to the Western Balkans last week as the first COVID-19 vaccines, shared and funded by the European Union, arrived to the region. Ahead of the visit, the officials from the European Union and Serbia signed a grant package for Serbia worth over €86 million. The grant package will focus on supporting Serbia in protecting the environment – in particular safe drinking water, supporting the tourism sector and to support small and medium sized enterprises.

04 May 2021: The recently completed EU-funded Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Detailed Design for the WBIF project “Mati River Flood Protection Infrastructure” were implemented by COWI-IPF Consortium (Infrastructure Project Facility 8) in close cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Albania and the National Water Resources Management Agency.

28 April 2021: The International Energy Agency characterizes energy efficiency as the “world´s first fuel” because it is the most underestimated resource of all and its potential is still far from exhausted. That holds true for practically every region of the world, but particularly for the Western Balkans. In all WB6 countries the energy productivity remains low, indicating that energy saving measures and investments are not implemented to a large enough extent.

08 April 2021: Earlier this week, the keys to 62 newly built apartments in Srebrenik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, were handed to 164 displaced persons, former residents of the collective centres. The construction of the multi-apartment building is part of the larger EU supported project „Housing and Social Integration of Vulnerable Persons Living in Collective Centres“, implemented by the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

04 April 2021: The European Union and the bilateral donors, the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), have been supporting Subotica’s efforts for the modernisation of its original waste water treatment plant and construction of a sludge line since 2006.