The European Union, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the European Investment Bank (EIB) – the lending arm of the EU – are financing a new wastewater treatment plant in northern Kosovo to improve sanitation standards and reduce wastewater pollution in South Mitrovica, Vushtrri/ Vučitrn and the surrounding areas.

The EU will provide a €5 million grant through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), The European Investment Bank will co-finance the project with a €13.5 million loan and the EBRD will extend another  €13.5 million loan to Regional Water Company Mitrovica, a state-owned water utility company, to finance the construction of the new treatment plant, as well as the repair and extension of the wastewater network in South Mitrovica and Vushtrri/ Vučitrn. The plant will benefit more than 123,000 people living in the company’s service area.

The new treatment plant will significantly reduce pollution from wastewater flowing into four of the region’s rivers and will provide residents with access to cleaner water. It will also benefit neighbouring municipalities in Serbia.

The water quality of Kosovan rivers has deteriorated in recent decades due to a lack of proper treatment for wastewater and solid waste. The EU, EIB and EBRD are helping Kosovo to address these challenges and invest in modern environmental infrastructure with well-structured finance through the Western Balkans Investment Framework. This will be the second wastewater treatment plant that the EU and the EBRD have supported in Kosovo.