EBRD, EU and partners turn cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina green
The cantonal hospital in Zenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina was built about 60 years ago and it has never really been refurbished.
The list of things to do is long. There’s a need for proper air-conditioning, heating and ventilation systems, the windows and roof need to be replaced and flooding is a major problem in the autumn. The main building was constructed on the bottom of a hill, so that rain floods into the lower level rooms.
This is where the EBRD and its partners come in: a €10 million loan, complemented by a €1 million investment grant, will help the hospital to modernise its facilities so that it can save energy and costs and cut CO2 emissions.
The funds will also support the construction of a 2,800 m2 energy efficient extension and introduce a new drainage system to tackle the seasonal flooding attributed largely to the effects of climate change.
It’s part of the EBRD’s wider effort, together with the European Union and bilateral donors through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), to work across the Western Balkans to cut energy use and CO2 emissions. Furthermore, Austria’s Federal Ministry of Finance provides additional funds.