Robert de Groot

The representation of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in BiH is celebrating the fifth anniversary since its opening. With over €900 million allocated to new investments since 2019, the EIB has provided favourable financial conditions to projects across the country, often combined with grants from the European Union channelled through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF). The lion’s share of the funds have been allocated to the transportation sector (€590 million), as well as to support for small and medium companies (€155 million) through favourable credit lines, followed by investments in the water, energy, healthcare and education sectors. In terms of technical support, the Bank has provided some €3 million in grants from its own Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI), while €10.5 million of advisory services have been delivered through the WBIF. These funds have backed the preparation and implementation of projects.

During his first visit to Serbia, the European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice-President, responsible for the Western Balkans, Robert de Groot attended the signature ceremony for an €80 million loan with Elektrodistribucija Srbije d.o.o (EDS), Serbia’s electricity distribution company, to replace obsolete electromechanical metering devices with around 400 000 smart meters. As part of a wider electricity grid modernisation programme, the installation of new smart meters will help the distribution system operator reduce electricity losses, improve collection rates and facilitate the integration of renewables in the near future. The signature ceremony was attended by the Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović, Business Systems Director of EDS Vjekoslav Bobar, and State Secretary for the Ministry of Finance Ana Tripović.