EBRD

The transfer of know-how on market coupling initiatives among EU Member States to the National Regulatory Authorities of Albania (ERE), Energy Water Services Regulatory Commission of North Macedonia (ERC), Montenegro (REGAGEN) and Serbia (AERS) is the main objective of the third phase of the Know-how Exchange Programme project “CEI support for strengthening Energy Regulatory Authorities in the Western Balkans” launched in Sofia on 21 February.

Valorising the remarkable and unique geological, historical and naturalistic heritage of North Macedonia is one of the main objectives of the Know-how Exchange Programme project GECCOSPARK officially launched in Skopje (North Macedonia) on 12-14 February.

In the framework of the INNOVA.RISKS Project, a Moldovan delegation (know-how recipient) went on a study visit to Italy on 23-26 October.

In the framework of the 13th Symposium “Novel Technologies and economic development”, the final event of the SAFEMEAT project was organised in Leskovac (Serbia) on 18 October by the Faculty of Technology in Leskovac, University of Niš, Serbia.

The CEI’s annual Steering Committee (SC) meeting and CEI Committee of National Coordinators (CNC) meeting under the Italian CEI Presidency, took place on 10 April at the Headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London.

In the framework of the CEI Know How Exchange Program (KEP) project for strengthening Energy Regulatory Authorities in the Western Balkans, on 29 March 2019, the CEI-Executive Secretariat hosted the first technical seminar aimed at sharing best practices and knowledge of EU procedures.

On 10-13 February, the first practical laboratory on valuation of ecosystem services along with a workshop on identifying the institutional and economic barriers hindering the application of ecosystem services approach to local planning and resources management was held in Crocmaz, Moldova, in the framework of the CEI Know-how Exchange Programme (KEP) project We4Nature & Nature4us: AAs Enshrined Ecosystem Services. 

The Annual Report 2017 of the CEI Fund at the EBRD contributed by Italy was presented during the CEI Steering Committee Meeting at the EBRD Headquarters in London on 19 April 2018.
 

Minsk has a population of more than two million, in a country of 9.5 million people. Road and traffic connections are centred around the capital, and in total, the road network of Belarus exceeds 86,000 km. About 16,000 km of the country’s major highways carry the bulk of freight and passenger traffic.
 
The EBRD is providing a long-term 42.5 million EUR loan for the completion of the outer (second) ring road in Minsk, which will enable better interconnections around the Belarusian capital and improved links between the country’s major highways.

The first innovation vouchers for “green” solutions were awarded in Belgrade, Serbia on 13 March. The award ceremony took place before the Minister of Innovation and Technological Development, Nenad Popović, the Minister of Environmental Protection, Goran Trivan, and the EBRD management team, including Terry McCallion, EBRD Director for Energy Efficiency and Climate Change, and Dan Berg, EBRD Director for Serbia. 

On 26 October 2017, the Regional Western Balkans Master Programme in Public Procurement Management was launched in Belgrade. The University of Tor Vergata in Rome, Italy manages the course in partnership with the EBRD to be held at the campus of the University of Belgrade. The Programme is co-financed by the CEI Know-how Exchange Programme (KEP) through the CEI Fund at the EBRD, sponsored by Italy.
 

There is widespread recognition of the need to find environmentally sustainable ways of running economies and organising our lives. Implementing these changes requires a holistic approach that examines every activity for its “green” potential and applies best practice. For example, consider the residues from commercial processing of food and beverages. These residues are often seen as waste, but they can also be treated as resources if firms improve the way they collect and use them.
 

On 18 May 2017, the results achieved by the KEP ITALY project "Development of a training program on management of disaster prevention, preparedness and rapid response" were presented in Montenegro.

The CEI has recently become a member-partner of the Silk Road Think Tank Network (SiLKS), an informal international network initiated in 2015 by think tanks, relevant international organisations, and institutions jointly with the Development Research Center of the State Council of China. The network currently counts 54 members and partners.
 

The CEI is glad to announce a new Call for Proposals for the CEI Know‐how Exchange Programme (KEP) ‐ ITALY. The projects will be co‐financed by the CEI Fund at the EBRD, entirely financed by the Italian Government.

Proposals are to be in line with the CEI Plan of Action and meet the criteria comprehensively outlined in the Call for Proposals and Application Guidelines.

The CEI Steering Committee (SC) and the CEI Committee of National Coordinators (CNC) met on 6 April at the Headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London.

The floods that affected Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 2014 caused severe damages to houses, roads and railways. In order to overcome this damage that included the collapse of several bridges and road sections, the EBRD supported Bosnia and Herzegovina by providing a €65 million loan to the state-owned company Roads of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ukraine enjoys a major role as a global grain producer and exporter and still has a considerable potential for growth. By 2020, wheat exports from the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Ukraine are estimated to be approximately double to that of the United States. However, Ukraine has not been able to fully realise its production potential due to a number of constraints, with financing being only one of them.