The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) provided strong support to Serbia in 2021, investing a total of half a billion euros, it was announced.
About 40 percent of investments were in projects in the field of environmental infrastructure, transition to cleaner energy sources, circular economy and energy efficiency.
The EBRD’s regional director for the Western Balkans and Serbia’s office director Mateo Colangeli said last year’s results proved the bank’s commitment to helping Serbia transition to a green economy.
“We continue to work with public and private sector partners to invest in sustainable infrastructure and strengthen the country’s competitiveness,” he said.
In the infrastructure sector, the bank has supported a major regional waste management program, which aims to build sanitary landfills and increase the country’s recycling rate. It has also invested in broadband infrastructure in rural areas and the improvement of irrigation systems in Vojvodina.
At the municipal level, the EBRD financed the improvement of energy efficiency of public buildings in Belgrade, the purchase of electric buses in Novi Sad and the decarbonization of district heating in Kragujevac through the installation of new boilers.
Most EBRD investments in Serbia went to the private sector and were primarily placed through local banks, including financing SME investments in trade and green technologies, credit lines to improve energy efficiency in the housing sector and dedicated credit lines for women entrepreneurs.
The total investments of the EBRD in Serbia reached 7.1 billion euros, the bank said in a statement, N1 reports.
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