The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission announced a new agreement enabling the Bank to triple its advisory assistance for the Western Balkans and potentially Türkiye at the JASPERS Stakeholders’ Meeting in Brussels. The support will be delivered under the institutions’ joint JASPERS programme, entailing the largest ever budget for technical assistance of up to €20 million and enhanced teams of experts over the next six years.

“This new agreement commits record resources to support the EU enlargement process by helping the countries prepare vital strategies, plans and investments, while strengthening their project preparation and implementation capacities. This increased EIB advisory support will allow our partners in the Western Balkans to efficiently implement more projects under the EU Economic and Investment Plan, following EIB’s policy priorities.” said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska. “Under our dedicated arm for activities outside the EU — EIB Global — with EIB advisory services and the European Commission, we are determined to ensure a sustainable future for people in the EU neighbourhood countries, helping them advance with reforms, economic growth and climate action.”

Since 2005, the EIB’s JASPERS advisory programme has worked in 27 countries and supported the preparation of hundreds of projects worth over €317 billion in the areas of sustainable transport, environmental protection, innovation, healthcare and the green transition both within and outside the European Union.