GrCF2: Skopje Bus Rapid Transit Project

Overview
Project Summary Document
Environmental and Social Documentation
Procurement
Complaints

Overview

Provision of a sovereign loan of up to EUR 70 million ("the loan") to the Republic of North Macedonia for on-granting to the city of Skopje. The loan will finance the construction of a Bus Rapid Transit ("BRT") corridor on two dedicated lanes, the acquisition of a new tram-bus fleet and the construction of a new depot (the "project") in Skopje. The project will be implemented in two phases and comprises of two tranches: Tranche 1 of up to EUR 40 million to finance BRT Line 1 (east-west) to be committed at signing, and Tranche 2 of up to EUR 30 million to finance BRT Line 2 (north-south) to be committed upon completion of separate due diligence.

The loan will be extended to the Republic of North Macedonia and on-granted to the city of Skopje, which will be the implementing agency.

The project is envisaged as part of the EBRD Green Cities Framework 2 ("GrCF2"). The facility is designed to serve as a sector-wide catalyst for addressing environmental challenges at municipal level.

Project ID 51752

Status Signed

Location

North Macedonia

Business Sector

Municipal Infrastructure

Notice Type

State

Project timeline

Exploratory
Passed Concept Review
Passed Structure Review
Passed Final Review
Board Approved
Signed
Implementing
Completed

Company Contact Information

Lovren Marki&
lovrenm@skopje.gov.mk
+389 (0)2 32 97 235
City of Skopje blvd. Ilinden 82, 1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia

Project ID 51752

Status Signed

Location

North Macedonia

Business Sector

Municipal Infrastructure

Notice Type

State

Environmental Category

Approval Date

18 Nov 2020

Disclosure date

16 Apr 2020

Project description

The loan will be extended to the Republic of North Macedonia and on-granted to the city of Skopje, which will be the implementing agency.

Project objectives

The main purpose of the project is to substantially improve the level of public transport service and help reduce air pollution in Skopje, currently one of the most polluted cities in Europe. The BRT is expected to play a key role in the improved system through the introduction of dedicated bus corridors on the main city arteries with related improvements in frequency, capacity and speed of the urban transport system in general.

Transition impact

ETI Score:70

project contributes to the "Green" Transition Impact quality by prioritising public transport in dedicated lanes operated by low-carbon emissions tram-buses which will significantly contribute to improved public service and local air quality.

The project will also features the "Well-Governed" Transition Impact quality by helping improve the governance of the urban transport sector in Skopje by promoting better planning and regulatory capacity for green urban transportation and strengthening financial sustainability of the municipal transport company.

EBRD Finance Summary

EUR 70,000,000.00

Total project cost

EUR 70,000,000.00

Environmental & Social Summary

Categorised B under the 2014 Environmental and Social Policy. The key environmental and social impacts/risks to consider include: land acquisition, public safety during construction and operation and confirmation of the anticipated environmental and climate benefits. The use of hybrid CNG/electric engine technology will contribute to improving air quality in Skopje. Environmental and Social (E&S) due diligence is being undertaken by a consultant and includes an appraisal of the project, an audit of the operator's management systems and development of a stakeholder engagement plan and ESAP.

Technical Cooperation and Grant Financing

Technical Cooperation for this operation will be provided to assist with: (i) technical and environmental due diligence study for Line 1, (ii) advanced procurement support for Line 1, (iii) assistance with project preparation and implementation for Line 1 and Line 2, (iv) operational support to City and (v) feasibility study for Line 2.

Company Contact Information

Lovren Marki&
lovrenm@skopje.gov.mk
+389 (0)2 32 97 235
City of Skopje blvd. Ilinden 82, 1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia

Implementation summary

PSD last updated

16 Apr 2020

Understanding transition

Further information regarding the EBRD’s approach to measuring transition impact is available here.

Business opportunities

For business opportunities or procurement, contact the client company.

For business opportunities with the EBRD (not related to procurement) contact:

Tel: +44 20 7338 7168
Email: projectenquiries@ebrd.com

For state-sector projects, visit EBRD Procurement:

Tel: +44 20 7338 6794
Email: procurement@ebrd.com

General enquiries

Specific enquiries can be made using the EBRD Enquiries form.

Environmental and Social Policy (ESP)

The ESP and its associated Environmental and Social Requirements (ESRs) set out the ways in which the EBRD implements its commitment to promoting “environmentally sound and sustainable development”. The ESP and the ESRs include specific provisions for clients to comply with the applicable requirements of national laws on public information and consultation, and to establish a grievance mechanism to receive and facilitate resolution of stakeholders’ concerns and grievances, in particular, about the environmental and social (E&S) performance of the client and the project. Proportionate to the nature and scale of a project’s environmental and social risks and impacts, the EBRD also requires its clients to disclose information, as appropriate, about the risks and impacts of projects or to undertake meaningful consultation with stakeholders and consider and respond to their feedback.

More information on the EBRD’s practices in this regard is set out in the ESP.

Integrity and compliance

The EBRD's Office of the Chief Compliance Officer (OCCO) promotes good governance and ensures that the highest standards of integrity are applied to all of the Bank's activities in accordance with international best practice. Integrity due diligence is conducted on all Bank clients to ensure that projects do not present unacceptable integrity or reputational risks to the Bank. The EBRD believes that identifying and resolving issues in the project assessment and approval stages is the most effective means of ensuring the integrity of Bank transactions. OCCO plays a key role in these protective efforts andhelps to monitor integrity risks in projects post-investment.

OCCO is further responsible for investigating allegations of fraud, corruption and misconduct in EBRD-financed projects. Anyone, either within or outside the Bank, who suspects fraud or corruption should submit a written report to the Chief Compliance Officer by email to compliance@ebrd.com. OCCO will follow-up all matters reported. It will review all matters reported. Reports can be made in any language of the Bank or of the Bank's countries of operation. The information provided must be made in good faith.

Access to Information Policy (AIP)

The AIP, which entered into force on 1 January 2025, sets out how the EBRD discloses information and consults with its stakeholders to promote better awareness and understanding of its strategies, policies and operations. Please visit the Access to Information Policy page to find out what information is available from the EBRD website.

Specific requests for information can be made using the EBRD enquiries form.

Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM)

If efforts to address environmental, social or public disclosure concerns with the Client or the Bank are unsuccessful (for example, through the client’s project-level grievance mechanism or through direct engagement with Bank management), individuals and organisations may seek to address their concerns through the EBRD’s Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM).

IPAM independently reviews project issues that are believed to have caused (or to be likely to cause) harm. The purpose of the mechanism is: to support dialogue between project stakeholders to resolve environmental, social and public disclosure issues; to determine whether the Bank has complied with its Environmental and Social Policy or the project-specific provisions of its Access to Information Policy; and where applicable, to address any existing non-compliance with these policies, while preventing future non-compliance by the Bank.

Please visit the Independent Project Accountability Mechanism webpage to find out more about IPAM and its mandate and how to submit a Request for review. Alternatively, contact IPAM by email at ipam@ebrd.com for guidance and more information on IPAM and how to submit a request.

Environmental and Social Documentation is not available for this project.

Selected procurement notices related to this project may be shown below. Further procurement opportunities related to this and other projects, if available, maybe be viewed in the EBRD Procurement Portal.

The EBRD's Environmental and Social Policy (ESP), Access to Information policy (AIP) and Project Accountability Policy (PAP) enable sound and sustainable development in its projects. The Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM) deals with complaints about environmental, social and disclosure matters related to the Bank’s investments.

No complaints about this project have been made so far.

Our story

How we invest in changing lives

What we offer for businesses

Search

GrCF2: Skopje Bus Rapid Transit Project

Overview

Project timeline

Company Contact Information

Project description

Project objectives

Transition impact

EBRD Finance Summary

Total project cost

Environmental & Social Summary

Technical Cooperation and Grant Financing

Company Contact Information

Implementation summary

PSD last updated

Understanding transition

Business opportunities

General enquiries

Environmental and Social Policy (ESP)

Integrity and compliance

Access to Information Policy (AIP)

Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM)