On 12 and 13 February, a meeting of bilateral (Austria, Germany, Italy and Sweden in particular) and multilateral donors, including the main IFIs supporting the SEE 2020 Strategy for Jobs and Growth, was organised in Sarajevo by the Regional Cooperation Council – RCC.
Coordination of donor efforts in the Western Balkans remains a challenge. Although there are successful and innovative examples championed by some of the countries and donors, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to cross-country and/or regional interventions.
The aim of the gathering was to provide a context for better donor coordination, present current efforts on mapping donor interventions and illustrate up-to-date examples.
CEI Alternate Secretary General, Margit Waestfelt took part in the meeting and introduced the long-lasting experience of the CEI in the delivery of financial support to bottom-up initiatives. Namely, bringing together the peoples of the region (Cooperation Fund); facilitating know-how exchange between EU and non-EU CEI Member States (KEP projects) and providing technical assistance for finalising major investment projects through the CEI Fund at the EBRD, contributed by Italy, thus addressing concrete needs of the region. She stressed the CEI’s commitment to coordinating relations with other donors and regional organisations and to involving WB beneficiaries in European projects. Ms. Waestfelt also highlighted the alignment of the Calls for Applications of the CEI financial instruments to the SEE 2020 and macro-regional strategic objectives.
For more information: poli@cei.int
Coordination of donor efforts in the Western Balkans remains a challenge. Although there are successful and innovative examples championed by some of the countries and donors, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to cross-country and/or regional interventions.
The aim of the gathering was to provide a context for better donor coordination, present current efforts on mapping donor interventions and illustrate up-to-date examples.
CEI Alternate Secretary General, Margit Waestfelt took part in the meeting and introduced the long-lasting experience of the CEI in the delivery of financial support to bottom-up initiatives. Namely, bringing together the peoples of the region (Cooperation Fund); facilitating know-how exchange between EU and non-EU CEI Member States (KEP projects) and providing technical assistance for finalising major investment projects through the CEI Fund at the EBRD, contributed by Italy, thus addressing concrete needs of the region. She stressed the CEI’s commitment to coordinating relations with other donors and regional organisations and to involving WB beneficiaries in European projects. Ms. Waestfelt also highlighted the alignment of the Calls for Applications of the CEI financial instruments to the SEE 2020 and macro-regional strategic objectives.
For more information: poli@cei.int