The European Commission announced on 30 June a new financial package to support 14 investment flagships in transport, energy, environment, human capital, and private sector support in the Western Balkans. Of these, four infrastructure projects are in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the country will also benefit from four regional projects. The 14 new investment flagships in the Western Balkans are worth a total of €2.1 billion. This includes €528 million in EU grants from the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III), additional bilateral contributions from EU Member States and Norway, loans from international financing institutions, and contributions from the economies of the Western Balkans.

The investments are made through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), which is a joint financial platform of the European Commission, financial organisations, EU Member States, and Norway aimed at enhancing cooperation in public and private sectors investments for the region’s socio-economic development and contributing to the European integration of the Western Balkans. The WBIF is the main financial vehicle for implementing the EU’s ambitious Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. This is the fifth investment package under the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. Projects have been prepared in close cooperation with the Western Balkans partners and the international financial institutions to accelerate the European perspective of the region.