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EBRD hosts high-level meeting on Transport sector in the Balkans
Focus on strengthening infrastructure for regional integration
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development this week hosts a two-day high-level meeting on 26 and 27 June to explore how transport infrastructure in the western Balkans, ranging from railways to roads, may be developed in a way that supports regional cooperation.
The meeting is being organised by the International Steering Committee, which coordinates infrastructure investments in southeast Europe on behalf of the European Commission, alongside the EBRD, the EIB, the Stability Pact, the World Bank and the Council of Europe. The focus will be the Regional Balkans Infrastructure Study (REBIS), a transport study for southeast Europe financed by the European Union, aimed at developing key transport projects in five countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro. It is the second meeting of its kind, following one held earlier this year in Luxembourg.
Senior representatives of the Ministries of Transport from the five western Balkan countries, together with representatives from a number of international financial institutions, will gather to galvanise grant funding for the design and preparation of imminent transport projects in the region.
Olivier Descamps, Business Group Director for Southern and Eastern Europe, said this meeting is very important for building transport infrastructure that binds the western Balkans. These countries need to work closer together, taking advantage of their proximity, if they are to become stronger economies. Strong transport infrastructure means better transport links, which can improve trade, foreign direct investment, tourism and regional integration, Mr Descamps, added.
The EBRD is one of the largest investors in the transport sector in southeast Europe, with over €2 billion committed to 74 projects.
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