In mid June, the Secretariat for CEI Projects (CEI-PS) announced its new commitments through the CEI Trust Fund at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) financed by the Italian Government.
Four technical cooperation projects (TCs) and two know-how exchange projects (KEP) were approved at the last CEI Committee of National Coordinators held in Budva, Montenegro on June 14, 2010 - a result which reveals the importance of the overall CEI mission dedicated to supporting the non-EU CEI Member States.
€530,000 will be targeted towards TC projects in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia and the entire Western Balkan region covering sectors such as transport, SME support and general development.
€62,320 will be dedicated to two KEP projects coving SME development and sustainable energy in Croatia and Serbia.
Through this project, the CEI will facilitate local access to the EBRD Western Balkans Sustainable Energy Direct Financing Facility (WeBSEDFF) and the EU/EBRD Western Balkans Sustainable Energy Credit Line Facility (WeBSECLF). Both investment facilities provide debt financing for renewable energy and industrial energy efficiency projects to small and medium-sized enterprises in the Western Balkans. They will unlock the great potential in the region to reduce energy intensity and promote diverse sources of green energy. - Rail Corridor X in Serbia and Macedonia: Lender's Monitor Advisor:
The EBRD is currently preparing projects with the Public Enterprise for Railway Infrastructure in Macedonia and Serbia. The projects will be implemented by Project Implementation Units established within the two railway companies and supervision will be undertaken by in-house staff. The EBRD also wishes to engage a Lender's Monitoring Advisor to monitor the implementation of these track renewal projects. In order to prevent any implementation problems with civil works. - Two TC projects towards the EBRD-World Bank Life in Transition Survey II:
The two IFIs are repeating their efforts from 2006 of monitoring perceptions in emerging Europe towards the market economy and democracy; views on the appropriate role of the state; and people’s opportunities to engage in entrepreneurial activities. The publication will also test perceptions of the quality of public institutions and how they might better deliver public goods, such as the rule of law and political accountability. The survey will include 33,500 households and individuals in the 30 countries in which the EBRD operates and CEI funds will focus on Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. KEP projects: - Technical assistance and good practices sharing in order to promote female entrepreneurship in the tourism and services sector is an assignment promoted by Finest Spa (Italy):
It aims to support and promote the development of enterprises managed and led by women in tourism and the services industry in the Croatian coast region. - AER Peer Review on Energy in Vojvodina – How to create sustainable energy communities within our regions:
Based on the Assembly of European Regions (AER) peer review methodology, the project aims to support the emergence of a pioneer sustainable energy community in the municipality of Temerin, Vojvodina (Serbia).