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Author: WeBalkans

EBRD and EU support SME competitiveness in Serbia

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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) provided a €20 million loan to UniCredit Leasing Serbia to support local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in investing to boost their competitiveness. More than half of the total loan amount will finance investments in green technology and energy efficiency.  
The loan will give SMEs in Serbia access to finance, enabling them to go beyond their day-to-day operations and invest in upgrades to reach EU standards. SMEs can use the funds to upgrade technology, processes or services, particularly those related to product quality, health and safety and EU environmental requirements.  
SMEs can also obtain technical assistance, including EBRD advisory support. Once they have completed their investment, they will be eligible for a cashback grant of 15 per cent of the total loan amount, both of which will be funded by the European Union.  
These investments will be channelled through the Western Balkans SME Competitiveness Support Programme, to which the EBRD provides loans and the European Union 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 supports improvement of water and sanitation systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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The European Investment Bank (EIB) – the EU’s lending arm – has signed a €2.1 million EU grant with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for financing the construction of the wastewater and drinking water systems in the municipalities of Jajce and Zvornik. This investment will help improve existing and develop new water and sanitation infrastructure that will increase the capacity of water wells and reduce water losses. The aim is to protect public health and the environment from water pollution and ensure reliable water supply and sanitation services for some 93,000 people.  
The EU grant will go towards construction works for water supply investments on the right bank of the river Vrbas and will be used to reduce water losses in the existing Resnik water supply system in Jajce. In Zvornik, the investment grant will be allocated to the construction of a wastewater treatment plant for Tabanci and a water supply system in Lokanj-Pilica. Those investments are part of an EU-funded project approved under the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) in 2019 to support implementing the “Water and Sanitation” programmes in the Federation and Republika Srpska of BiH.

The EU supports Western Balkans with a new project on prevention of radicalisation

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Prevention of radicalisation leading to violent extremism and terrorism is a key priority for the EU Member States and the Western Balkan partners. As common challenges require a common approach, the Commission will support the region in preventing and countering all forms of radicalisation in the framework of the accession process and implementing the Joint Action Plan on Counter-Terrorism for the Western Balkans.

 

The Commission will mobilise practitioners’ expertise within the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) to support prevention work in the Western Balkans, and facilitate exchanges among professionals within the region as well as with their colleagues from the EU Member States.

 

Challenges like the management of returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters and their family members will be addressed through training, workshops and study visits conducted both in the region and in the EU Member States. These activities will improve the Western Balkans’ capacity to prevent radicalisation, in line with EU policy. The foreseen activities will be funded under the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA II) with the signature of a €1.55 million project that will be implemented over 30 months.

The EU and Austria secure COVID-19 vaccines for the Western Balkans

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The European Commission and Austria have announced agreements for the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines for the Western Balkans. The 651,000 BioNTech/Pfizer doses are funded by the European Commission and will be shared with the facilitation of Austria. The first delivery to all the partners in the region is due in May, with regular tranches to continue until August.  
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “It is crucial to speed up the vaccination campaigns everywhere. I am happy to announce that we have secured doses to help vaccinate health care workers and other vulnerable groups in the Western Balkans. The European Union stands by our partners in the region, who have been looking to us for support. I want to thank Austria for facilitating this transfer, showing its firm commitment and solidarity with the Western Balkans”.  
Austria has facilitated sharing these vaccines through legal arrangements with the producer and the Western Balkan partners. The doses are funded from the €70 million package adopted by the Commission in December 2020 to help cover the cost of vaccines, secured under the EU’s advance purchase agreements for the Western Balkan partners.

New Building for Packaging Factory in Serbia Saves Energy

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Through the EU-supported Regional Energy Efficiency Programme for the Western Balkans (REEP/REEP Plus), the German Development Bank (Kreditanstalt Für Wiederaufbau – KfW), on behalf of the German Federal Government, has supported the Serbian cardboard packaging manufacturer RVM in Kraljevo to rehabilitate a hall for its production, with a focus on energy efficiency.

 

Previously, the company’s production was spread over three buildings, so material and products had to be transported back and forth between the different units with forklift trucks, and the old halls were in poor condition. In 2019, RVM, therefore, acquired a new building with 10,000 square metres of space, which was also in need of renovation. Consequently, they applied for support to renovate the newly acquired production building. The support was provided in the form of a loan and an EU grant. The loan amounts to €250,000, plus an EU grant of €25,000 from the REEP pot. The company itself raised €90,000 from its own funds.

 

“With the help of the REEP Plus programme, we were able to implement the highest standards of energy efficiency,” explains CFO Vladimir Radosavljević. “We will use the REEP grant to reduce the loan burden.” New windows were installed, heat-insulating doors, the entire electrical installation was renewed and replaced with LED lamps as light sources. A dust extraction system was also installed, which significantly improves the air quality in the new hall.

Girls design their own future in ICT

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Growing opportunities for youth in a growing sector: EU supported training programme helps launch Kosovan tech careers. In Kosovo, high unemployment is a persistent challenge, but it is a reality that especially affects young people: almost half of young adults under 24 years old are out of work and many seek opportunities abroad. However, one 20-year-old graphic designer refused to surrender to this grim reality and got busy at her first opportunity. “I was working in a random job when I got a call from an ICT start-up company to get involved in a short-term project. When that project was successfully completed within the deadline, it paved the way for my full-time engagement where I continue to work happily to this day,” says Arbra Shala, a fulfilled employee at AmamStudio in Pristina.

 “I am enjoying my creative habitat that enables me to illustrate the world as I see it.”

Market-oriented professional mentoring in schools

The process of learning new skills has accelerated in the past two years for Arbra as she combines attending university classes in graphic design with working for clients at the studio. Her determination did not go unnoticed while she was attending a training programme, where her current employer was a mentor. Alongside other high school students, Arbra was part of a one-month tailor-made training on Information Communications Technology (ICT) skills, that included graphic design, motion design, social media and multi-media. The school she was enrolled in was one of two vocational education and training high schools selected to benefit from an EU-funded programme implemented by Innovation Centre Kosovo (ICK). Upon successful completion of the training, students were sent out to gain first-hand work experience through internship placements, from which many of them were employed within established companies. “Here, I am enjoying my creative habitat that enables me to illustrate the world as I see it. In every design, or illustration, there are elements of exaggeration that define me,” Arbra says of her work.  

Getting more women involved

In a traditionally male-dominated sector, increasing the numbers of women in ICT is important – not only is workforce diversity good for business, but the sector offers many opportunities. ICT is one most promising sectors for economic growth in Kosovo. Training programmes offered by ICK are very valuable and much in demand, with impressive results so far. Sixty-one girls out of a total of 205 students and 30 teachers from two vocational education and training high schools in Prishtina and Prizren took part in the training programme. It enabled 51 young adults then to find a job in ICT – a sector that is emerging as a beacon of hope for younger generations to unlock their potential at home and contribute to a brighter future for the country. In addition to skills development, the project contributed to enhancing the entrepreneurship ecosystem, supporting 70 start-ups and companies with tailor-made consultancy services and incubation services at the centre.

“I truly believe that graphic design can be my professional occupation.”

About the project The ‘Training and Education with Marketable ICT skills for Employment and Self-employment in Kosovo’ project, run by the Innovation Centre Kosovo, was established with EU IPA funding. The aim of the project was to create new jobs and business prosperity in Kosovo, through skills development and innovation, and support for entrepreneurs, start-ups and existing businesses.

Skills in high demand

“This programme has had a great impact since these skills are in high demand,” says Dorina Grezda from ICK. “We’ve enabled young people to acquire the skills needed and put them into practice during their internships. As such, their chances of employment and self-employment have been increased, and young people have been given an opportunity to consider ICT as a career path.” An infusion of skills has proven successful in opening opportunities for youth who are in the process of defining their career path. Such is the case with Arbra, for whom the training enabled her to discover that graphic design is the thing she does best. She intends to build on current creative foundations and cement her occupation as a professional graphic designer. “I truly believe that graphic design can be my professional occupation,” she says with confidence.

New home for displaced families in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Keys to 62 newly built apartments in Srebrenik, Bosnia and Herzegovina were handed over to 164 displaced persons, former residents of the collective centres. The construction of the multi-apartment building is part of the larger EU supported project “Housing and Social Integration of Vulnerable Persons Living in Collective Centres”, implemented by the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  
The total value of the project is €107.6 million, with financing secured by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) through a €60 million loan, complemented by €1.8 million in grants provided by the European Union and Western Balkans Investment Framework Bilateral Donors.  
Under the project, the collective centres are being closed, and suitable alternative accommodation provided for 7,200 people. This involves the construction and renovation of 82 buildings in 45 municipalities and cities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.  
So far, 540 housing units have been completed, and 423 beneficiary families moved into social housing units in 17 sub-projects, following the closure of eight collective centres and alternative accommodation locations. These housing solutions are provided to beneficiaries based on social, not-for-profit rental housing model or within institutional accommodation (welfare) centres.

EU helps an Albanian organic food store to improve sustainability

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Migena Malo runs MIA, an organic grocery store in Tirana’s city centre whose crates of fresh fruits and vegetables put nature’s bounty on display for locals and tourists alike. Although organic, sustainable agriculture is on the rise in Albania, the sector remains largely unconquered. Migena, however, is about to change that.  
To ensure she could continue to follow the appropriate rules and regulations governing organic production, Migena turned to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for assistance. An advisory project, financed jointly with the European Union’s Western Balkans Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility (WB EDIF), helped MIA prepare for and acquire the GLOBALG.A.P. (Global Good Agricultural Practices) certificate, a widely recognised standard in advanced food safety and sustainability. The benchmark will support marketing efforts and help the store attract more clients. “We feel a real sense of duty and responsibility towards our clients,” says Migena. “As a team, we now understand what it means to produce organically and what sustainability standards we have to fulfil to deliver on that promise.”  
Although Migena is currently focusing on strengthening the brand and solidifying her client base, she is also working on a five-year plan that envisages opening more shops across Albania, supporting the livelihood of local farmers dedicated to sustainability.

RescEU: EU supports Serbia with masks and protective gloves

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Over a million protective masks and 700,000 protective gloves have been donated to Serbia through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which operates a special facility for managing emergencies, ‘RescEU’. The delivery was worth €857,000.

 

Serbia is the biggest beneficiary of RescEU in Europe during the COVID 19 crisis, having received personal protective equipment worth more than €6.8 million. EU assistance to Serbia during COVID-19 has taken many forms: funding recruitment of Serbian medical staff, transporting hundreds of tons of medical supplies, donating millions of personal protective items, bringing back Serbian stranded citizens from every corner of the world, purchasing ambulances and decontamination vehicles.

 

Background

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism facilitates cooperation in emergency response, preparation and prevention between Member States, as well as several other European countries. Serbia became a member of the Mechanism in 2015, but had already benefitted before that, during the devastating floods in May 2014. That operation was one of the largest since the Mechanism was established.

On the path of Roman emperors

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An EU-funded project is bringing the Western Balkans’ Roman heritage into the spotlight for visitors Did you know that between the second and fourth century, the political centre of the Roman Empire was not in Rome, but in Illyricum? This was the name for the lands which extended from the western boundary of modern Greece to the Alps in the west and from the Danube river in the north to Adriatic Sea, including what we now call the Western Balkans. Not all of the Western Balkans’ rich Roman heritage is known to visitors but an EU-funded project is now offering a digital platform to showcase sites in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia and to attract tourists to the region.

“If you visit Dioclea, near Podgorica, for example, you may also need accommodation and food, and you may want to visit other places nearby. We have therefore included restaurant, hotels and natural attractions in the package.” 

Ancient Rome in virtual reality

Regional NGO, the Danube Competence Centre (DCC), successfully launched the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine Route, and was approached by the EU-funded cooperation network, the Regional Cooperation Council, to develop a similar route in the Western Balkans. The purpose was to create a route in a less well-known part of the Balkan peninsula for travellers who want to experience something new. According to DCC, recent surveys show that up to 40% of all tourism-related travel are in the category of cultural tourism. However, the Western Balkans and the Illyricum branch of the Route are still relatively unknown among European tour operators and tourists. Danko Cosic is the coordinator of this project. He explains that nine archaeological sites have been selected to be included in the Illyricum Route. They include the ancient city of Stobi in North Macedonia, Apollonia and Butrint in Albania, and Dioclea in Montenegro. The project has created a package of virtual tours to take in all the featured locations. The main element of the presentation package for each archaeological site is a virtual tour, including audio interpretation. But, as Danko explains: “If you visit Dioclea, near Podgorica, for example, you may also need accommodation and food, and if you stay longer you may want to visit other places nearby. We have therefore included restaurant, hotels and natural attractions in the package.”

“With this project we want to bring the Western Balkans’ Roman heritage, in its full glory, to people’s computer screens, and hopefully tempt them to visit.”

About the project The Tourism Development and Promotion Project, funded by the EU and implemented by the Regional Cooperation Council, is worth €5 million. It works to develop and internationally promote joint regional cultural and adventure tourism offers, increasing the number of tourists visiting the six Western Balkans (WB6) economies, extending tourist stays in the region. Its second round of grants – worth up to €54,000 each – was awarded in October 2019. The Danube Competence Centre (DCC) is among 16 grant recipients from the second round.   Along with the presentation packages for each site, the route will be available on the https://romanemperorsroute.orgwebsite for visitors who want to explore the region. The Illyricum Trail will be transformed into a functional platform for promotion and collaboration between key heritage sites and stakeholders such as tourism organisations and businesses. According to Danko, travel intermediaries, agents and tour operators are old-school. The contemporary traveller selects places to visit and books the hotel and flights online. Locations and countries that want to become or remain competitive in the market therefore have to have advanced promotion packages online. “This is exactly what we are trying to do through this project. Bringing the Western Balkans’ Roman heritage, in its full glory, to people’s computer screens, and hopefully tempting them to visit these locations and spend some time here,” says Danko.