Skip to main content

Author: WeBalkans

EU and EBRD support the recovery of Kosovo SMEs from COVID-19 crisis

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a €5 million loan to Raiffeisen Bank in Kosovo to boost the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and help them bounce back from the Covid-19 crisis.  
Raiffeisen Bank will lend the funds to businesses looking to upgrade their technology and processes or services to achieve European Union (EU) standards, particularly those related to product quality, workers’ health and safety, and EU environmental requirements.  
SMEs can also obtain technical assistance, including hands-on EBRD advisory support. Once they have successfully completed their investment, they will also be eligible for a cashback grant of 15 per cent of the total loan amount funded by the EU. This new facility is part of the Western Balkans SME Competitiveness Support Programme, to which the EBRD provides loans and the EU contributes incentive payments and technical assistance. The goal is to help SMEs modernise their activities and take advantage of trade opportunities in the Western Balkans region and the wider European market.

EU invests an additional €40 million to help ease impact of COVID-19 crisis

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

The European Commission has invested an additional €40 million into the European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) to help combat the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic in the Western Balkans and EU Eastern Neighbourhood Region. The capital will be used to bolster the ability of local financial institutions to support micro and small enterprises in overcoming the challenges of the crisis.

 

The new funding will contribute to providing financial institutions in the EFSE target region with the means to continue serving micro and small enterprises. A significant portion of the sum has been designated explicitly for financing in local currency – providing an extra level of security by safeguarding borrowers from exchange rate risk.

 

Micro and small enterprises play a significant role in income generation and employment creation in these regions. Yet, most entrepreneurs in the Western Balkans and EU Eastern Neighbourhood have reported severely negative consequences on their businesses from the coronavirus outbreak, including suspension of operations and drastic declines in revenue. According to a study conducted by the EFSE Development Facility, four out of five small businesses have experienced a ‘negative to extremely negative impact’ on their operations, with others reporting temporary layoffs that could become permanent. By providing new and restructured business loans, local financial service providers play a crucial role in keeping these enterprises afloat.

BIRN launches call for investigative stories in Albania

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) in Albania launched a call for investigative stories, offering grants for three journalists to produce articles on topics related to justice sector. The call is part of the project “Using Big Data and Multimedia to Boost Quality and Independent Journalism in Albania” supported by the European Union. The journalists will have around three months to investigate and research their ideas. They will also have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as mentors to guide them through the story development process in line with BIRN standards.

 

This project aims to create an enabling environment for Albanian journalists to produce independent content through training, mentoring, technical and financial support, and close cooperation with civil society, so improving freedom of expression and strengthening media pluralism in Albania.

 

The call is open only for journalists from Albania and closes on 31 May.

ETF unveils Green Skills Awards finalists

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

The European Training Foundation (ETF) has unveiled the Green Skills Award finalists, selected following a call for proposals for good practice entitled ‘Green transition: education, training and skills’. The call aimed to collect stories about how education, training and skills development support the shift towards sustainable, clean, carbon-neutral circular economies and societies. The selected cases will provide ideas and inspiration for education and training policymakers and practitioners in the EU neighbourhood and beyond.  
The finalists will be presented at a ceremony on 25 June on an online event organised jointly with UNESCO, with the collaboration of EBRD, ILO and UNICEF.  The list of 11 finalist stories also includes a candidate from Albania: Shipment – Greening of existing professions in the maritime sector. In total, 134 applicants from 39 countries applied for this call.

EU supports local employment partnerships in BiH with €3.2 million

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

The project LEP II, financed by the European Union, has opened a call for proposals to support Local Employment Partnerships (LEP)  in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).  This call is open for all labour market actors who aim to form partnerships at the local level and members of existing employment partnerships in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The final beneficiaries of all project proposals are unemployed persons registered at employment services.
 
The aim of the project is to increase the number of local employment partnerships – this is turn will help improve pathways for unemployed persons into local labour markets. The total indicative budget for this public call is €3.2 million, to be allocated to a minimum of 20 local employment partnerships. Grant funds range from a minimum of €120,000 to a maximum of €160,000. The deadline for submission of concept notes is 30 June 2021. 

About ReLOaD

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in Publications.

The Regional Programme on Local Democracy in the Western Balkans is an EU funded initiative on strengthening participatory democracy and the EU integration process by empowering civil society to participate in decision-making. This brochure provides insights into the objectives, goals and the expected results of this initiative.

Balkan Barometer 2020

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in Publications.

The Balkan Barometer is an annual survey of Western Balkan’s citizen and business perceptions produced by the Regional Cooperation Council. The survey presents and analyses the attitudes of citizens and businesses across a wide array of socio-economic topics impacting their everyday lives.

RCC Roma Integration Project Monograph

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in Publications.

This Monograph summarises the main activities and achievements that the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Roma Integration 2020 project has actively set in its first implementation phase. The Roma Integration 2020 project, which is implemented with the financial support of the EU aims to contribute to reducing the socio-economic gap between the Roma and non-Roma population in the Western Balkans and Turkey.