EIB President Hoyer will attend the “Western Balkans Summit”, an event that will bring together heads of state or government from EU member states and leaders from the 6 Western Balkans partners (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, FYROM and Kosovo) to reaffirm the EIB long-standing commitment in the region.Since 2007 the EIB Group has financed projects in the Western Balkans for about EUR 8bn, supporting key connectivity infrastructures, private sector-led growth and job creation, thus to improve people’s lives. In 2016, the EIB further intensified its support to the region by launching the Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI) committing nearly EUR 700m of financing.
The summit will focus on “connectivity”- related to transport, energy and digital infrastructure, including its human aspect - to build stronger connections with the Western Balkans and within the region, in view of tacklingcommon challenges, such as security, migration and geopolitical developments.
The event will be hosted by Boyko Borissov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria and chaired by the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini and the Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, are also expected to be present.
Read more about the "Western Balkans Summit" programme