Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF)

The Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) is a joint blending facility of the European Commission, participating Financial Institutions (FIs), bilateral donors and Western Balkans countries to deliver funding for strategic investment projects in beneficiary countries.

The WBIF was launched in December 2009 by the European Commission, together with the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and several bilateral donors. KfW and the World Bank subsequently joined the Framework.

The WBIF focuses on key sectors of the Western Balkan economies including energy, environment, transport, social and private sector development. The Framework awards based on competitive procedures, grants for infrastructure project preparation activities as well as for investments.

Calls for project preparation assistance are organized on a regular basis, usually twice a year, with deadlines in February and September. Projects must be nominated or endorsed by the National IPA Coordinator of the respective country and projects with regional impact take precedence when deciding among applications.

Applications are assessed by the WBIF Project Financiers’ Group who recommends selected applications for approval by the Steering Committee. Approved grants are then implemented by the Infrastructure Project Facility teams or the IFIs themselves.

To date, the WBIF has allocated €1.3 bn to the Western Balkans, out of which €473 m represent technical assistance and investment grants aimed to leverage €13.5 bn investments.

WBIF Governance Structure

• Steering Committee – provides strategic orientation and approves grants

• Project Financier’s Group– screens and assesses requests for financial support and recommends proposals to the Steering Committee

• National IPA Coordinators – prioritize submissions from the Beneficiaries and submit applications to the Project Financiers’ Group.

• Donors – provide resources to WBIF

• WBIF Secretariat – Provides administrative support

• National Investment Committee – Endorse the Single Project Pipeline

Kosovo and the WBIF

The total number of projects that are approved by WBIF Steering Committee for Kosovo so far is 17, in the following sectors:

Energy

• Improvement of district heating Pristina (Phase I and II)

• Implementation of Energy Efficiency Measures in Public Buildings in the Municipality Level

• Feasibility Study and Implementation of Energy Efficiency measures in Central Public Buildings

• Feasibility Study – Fuel switching and system expansion for Districted Heating in Gjakova

Environment

• Municipal water supply and sanitation in Prishtina II

• Project preparation Feasibility Studies for Waste Water Treatment Plants in Kosovo

• Strengthening Waste Management

• Feasibility Study for Protection of Iber Canal

• Lepenc Canal Feasibility Study

• Municipal water supply and sanitation in Prishtina III

Social

• Kosovo Education Improvement Project

Transport

• Orient/East-Med Corridor (R10) General Rehabilitation Phase 1: Fushe Kosove – Border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

• Highway section E, Pristina – Merdare

• N9 Pristina road section Kijeva-Klina to Zahaq

• Orient/East-Med Corridor (R10) General Rehabilitation Phase 2: Fushe Kosove – Mitrovice

• Orient/East-Med Corridor (R10) General Rehabilitation Phase 3: Mitrovice – Border with Serbia

• Rail Line Fushe Kosova/Kosovo Polje –Podujevo

More information https://www.wbif.eu/