The President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud-Basso, will visit the Polish capital Warsaw at the beginning of next week for meetings with President Andrzej Duda, the government, the central bank and business representatives.
The EBRD President said: “This visit is very important as it will allow us to gain significant insights into the state of the Polish economy following the coronavirus pandemic. We have noted Poland’s resilience in the face of the severe impact of the crisis and we stand ready to extend our support during the recovery phase to build back better. The EBRD’s strategic priorities in Poland are to support the green, innovative and just transition agenda, which can underpin a more sustainable and equitable growth going forward.”
Poland is the country where the EBRD signed its first investment project in 1991, after the establishment of the Bank 30 years ago. To date, the Bank has invested nearly €11 billion through 458 projects in the country. While the early years focused on supporting greater private sector participation in the economy, today most EBRD investments are dedicated to supporting the green economy transition.
Here the EBRD is pursuing a multi-track approach to reduce Poland’s dependency on fossil fuels, on the one hand by promoting the use of the country’s strong potential in renewables, and on the other hand by improving energy efficiency, reducing waste, promoting recycling and decarbonising the industry and transport sectors. The EBRD is also facilitating the transition to a green economy with designated support programmes under its Just Transition initiative and Green Cities programme.
Today, Warsaw is not only one of Europe’s most vibrant cities, but also one of its most polluted. In June 2020 it joined the EBRD Green Cities programme, a framework for sustainable urban development. Only weeks later, Wałbrzych, a town in Lower Silesia, joined the EBRD programme too.