EIB Confirms Support for Western Balkans on the Path towards EU Integration

• A Bank delegation led by President Werner Hoyer participated in the Western Balkans Summit in Sofia
• The EIB and Serbia signed a Memorandum of Understanding reconfirming the Bank's support for key connectivity infrastructure, digitalisation, rural development, energy safety and urban transport
• The EIF (European Investment Fund, part of the EIB Group) signed guarantee agreements with two large Serbian banks to enhance local SMEs' access to finance

The European Investment Bank (EIB), as one of the leading international financiers in the Western Balkans, has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the region's path towards the European Union. Since 2007, the EIB has signed EUR 7.5 billion of loans for projects in the Western Balkans. So far this year, the EIB has signed loans worth more than half a billion euros for the region.

An EIB Group delegation led by President Werner Hoyer participated today in the Western Balkans Summit in Sofia (Bulgaria) hosted by Boyko Borissov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The event brought together government leaders from EU Member States and Western Balkans countries. The summit was chaired by the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. Also attending were Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission; Federica Mogherini, the head of EU foreign policy; and Johannes Hahn, the European Commissioner for Enlargement. 

The summit focused on connectivity issues in transport, energy and digital infrastructure, including mobility and inclusion. The goal is to build stronger connections within the Western Balkans and with the EU to tackle common challenges in security, migration and geopolitics. The EIB is already strongly committed in all these fields, with a special focus on...