Key dates [EBRD - Basic facts]

2008

March – EBRD co-hosts a conference with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on “Fighting food inflation through sustainable investment".
April - The Board of Directors allocates 80 per cent of the EBRD's 2007 net income to reserves and €115 million to the newly-established Shareholder Special Fund. The remaining €135 million from the profits will be paid in the form of a grant to the decommissioning of Chernobyl.
May - Annual Meeting in Kiev, Ukraine. Thomas Mirow is appointed EBRD President.
The EBRD's 2008 Environmental and Social Policy and Performance Requirements was approved by the Board of Directors. It reflects improvements suggested by stakeholders and applies to projects that are appraised after 12 November 2008.
June - EBRD opens its 4th Russian regional office in the city of Samara. The Samara office covers the Volga Federal District where over 20 percent of Russia’s population lives.
July - EBRD co-hosts the Making Roads Safe Conference aimed at ensuring that all internationally funded road projects in developing countries meet tough criteria for safety assessment and design.

2007

March - EBRD hosts a conference on "Financing clean energy: a framework for public-private partnership to tackle climate change".
May - Annual Meeting in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan.
June - Resident office in Podgorica, Montenegro opens.
December - Czech Republic graduates from the EBRD having achieved an advanced state of transition.

2006

January - Regional seminar is hosted in Bulgaria and focuses on investment in manufacturing and the enterprise sector in southeast Europe.
May - Annual Meeting in London. Board of Governors approves new five-year strategy in the context of the Capital Resources Review.
July - Mongolia accepted as an EBRD country of operations.
October - Following a declaration of independence in June, Montenegro becomes a member of the EBRD.

2005

February - Regional seminar is held in Tirana (Albania), focusing on the development of the energy sector across south-eastern Europe.
March - Regional seminar is held in Skopje (Macedonia), focusing on private-sector development and regional integration of the financial sector.
May - Annual Meeting in Belgrade, Serbia.
August - EBRD Trade Facilitation Programme finances its 4,000th transaction.

2004

April - Annual Meeting in London, UK.
May - Eight EBRD countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovak Republic, Slovenia) become Member States of the European Union.
June - The Early Transition Countries initiative is launched to support investment in the Bank's seven poorest countries of operation.
July - The Independent Recourse Mechanism (IRM) is launched, providing local groups with a means of raising a complaint about a Bank-financed project.
President Jean Lemierre begins second four-year term of office.

2003

April – A new Environmental policy is approved. It sets parameters for reviewing community issues, such as the impact of EBRD investments on local communities and their cultural heritage.
May – Annual Meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
September - Public consultations are held in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to understand concerns and provide information to local communities about the construction and operation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyham oil pipeline.

2002

February - A telephone hotline is established to report allegations of fraud, corruption or other misconduct in the Bank's activities or projects.
May – Annual Meeting in Bucharest, Romania.
June – Three draft papers are published proposing improvements to the Bank's transparency, accountability and good governance: the Public Information Policy review, the Environmental Policy review and the Independent Recourse Mechanism.
September – EBRD plays an active part in the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa, contributing to discussions on issues of transparency and accountability.

2001

March - Resident Office in Belgrade opens.
April - Annual Meeting in London, UK. Following the second Capital Resources Review, the Board of Governors confirms that no capital increase is needed.
September - The NGO Relations Unit is established to facilitate the ongoing dialogue with civil society. Every year since 2000 civil society organisations meet EBRD senior management during the NGO programme at the Bank's Annual Meeting.

2000

February - EU initiates accession negotiations with Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and the Slovak Republic.
April - Annual Meeting in Riga, Latvia.
July - EBRD publishes new Public Information Policy (PIP).
December - Closure of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

1999

April - Annual Meeting in London, UK. Board of Governors endorses Moving Transition Forward, a revised operational strategy for the Bank.
September - In the wake of the Kosovo conflict, the EBRD launches the South Eastern Europe Action Plan to promote investment and assist economic recovery in the region.

1998

March - European Union accession negotiations are initiated with five of the Bank's countries of operations (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia).
May - Annual Meeting in Kiev, Ukraine
November - EBRD opens local office in Yerevan, Armenia, completing its network of Resident Offices in each of its countries of operations.

1997

April - Annual Meeting in London, UK. Doubling of the EBRD's capital base to €20 billion becomes effective.
December - Chernobyl Shelter Fund (0.3Mb) becomes operational, with the EBRD acting as its administrator. Under the Fund, donor funding is used to assist Ukraine with safety measures at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

1996

April - Annual Meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria. Shareholders unanimously approve a doubling of the EBRD's capital base to €20 billion.
June - Bosnia and Herzegovina becomes the Bank's 60th member and its 26th country of operations.
December - Bank signs its first project in Tajikistan, thereby achieving commitments in each of its countries of operations.

1995

April - Annual Meeting in London, UK. Governors ask Board of Directors to undertake a study on the Bank's future resource requirements.
October - EBRD participates in the first joint mission by international financial institutions to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

1994

April - Annual Meeting in St Petersburg, Russia. Board of Governors endorses medium-term strategy

1993

January - Czech Republic and Slovak Republic admitted to membership of the EBRD.
March - EBRD accepts G-7's invitation to administer the Nuclear Safety Account, a multilateral programme to improve safety in the region's nuclear power plants.
April - Annual Meeting held in London for first time. Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia admitted to membership of the Bank.
July - Russia Small Business Fund is launched to support small and medium-sized enterprises.

1992

April - First Annual Meeting of Board of Governors held in Budapest, Hungary.
July - Break-up of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
December - The 12 newly-independent states of the former Soviet Union and Slovenia complete EBRD membership procedures. Break-up of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic.

1991

April - Inauguration of the EBRD in London attended by Governors representing the 41 initial members of the Bank.
June - First project approved in the state sector - for Bank of Poznan in Poland.
September - First three private sector projects approved.
November - Agreement signed for first Resident Office in Warsaw. Board of Governors approves membership for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
December - Break-up of the Soviet Union.

1990

January - Negotiations on establishing the EBRD begin in Paris.
May - Agreement Establishing the Bank signed in Paris.

1989

October - President François Mitterrand of France proposes to the European Parliament the creation of a bank for eastern Europe.
December - European Council in Strasbourg endorses proposal to create the EBRD.