The CEI Committee of National Coordinators has recently approved three technical cooperation (TC) projects entirely supported by the Italian Government through the CEI Trust Fund at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The projects aim to address important areas of development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Ukraine with energy efficiency cutting across the rationale of all three projects.
The Čapljina Water Supply – Feasibility Study will assess the environmental and social impacts associated with the expansion of the water supply in a municipality of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due diligence is needed for EBRD and EU investments which will enable around 1,800 households to connect to water and wastewater systems. The authorities claim that Čapljina (estimated population of 30,000) is one of very few municipalities fully implementing Annex 7 of the Dayton Peace Accord (return of refugees and displaced persons).
CEI technical assistance will also enable an assessment of energy use within the operations of Zeljeznicki Prevoz Crne Gore (ZPCG) - the main railway company responsible for passenger operations in Montenegro - as well as a review of energy efficiency. Special attention will also be paid to opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated to dedicated investments and improved management. The project Energy Survey of Zeljeznicki Prevoz Crne Gore will support an EBRD loan for urgent renewal of passenger rolling stock and the final phase of the labour restructuring programme.
The third TC approved project, Review of Sustainable Farming Practices in the Agriculture Sector, will review the agricultural sector in Ukraine, assess the energy and environmental performance, the impact of additional activities and investments, and evaluate the waste-to-energy potential. The project supports EBRD efforts to review sustainability indicators for primary agriculture operations in Ukraine with a special focus on rotation crops. The ultimate goal is to unlock the country’s agricultural and industrial potential.
The projects will support investments of the EBRD and of other international organisations amounting to a total value of €50 million. The relationship between the CEI Trust Fund commitments and the expected international investments linked to them, suggests that for each Euro committed by the CEI Fund, the international community will roughly invest €124.
The amounts approved for the three projects, however, are equally impressive in nominal terms. With an aggregate commitment of €420,000, the projects show the dedication of the CEI to the development of its region of operations, despite the global drawn out efforts to regain economic growth. In relation to the previous five years, the amount represents more than 50 percent of the average annual CEI Trust Fund TC commitment. With roughly half of the financial year still ahead, these figures place the CEI on a promising path for 2011.