The European Investment Bank and the European Union will support two new projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina by providing EUR 68m to improve the water supply, wastewater and storm-water management infrastructure, enhance flood protection in the Sava river basin.
Safe drinking water, modern wastewater and sanitation infrastructure
With a EUR 30m loan for construction and improvements to the water supply, wastewater and storm-water networks, the EIB will open up access to drinking water for up to 147 000 citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina and improve sanitation services to some 70 000 people.
To complement the loan, the EU bank will also provide EUR 1.2m worth of technical assistance to design projects, prepare tender documentation and manage procurement processes. Funding for technical assistance comes from the Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI), an EIB initiative to support resilient and inclusive growth in the EU's Southern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans.
Protecting Bosnia and Herzegovina from floods
The European Investment Bank will also invest EUR 19m to increase flood protection along the Sava River and its basin in Republika Srpska by constructing dykes and channels and rehabilitating riverbeds. The EIB-funded flood protection improvements will help avoid future loss of life and damage to property from recurring floods, and create a safer environment in this part of the country. This investment is also funded from the EIB’s Economic Resilience Initiative.
Head of Division for EIB Lending Operations in Croatia, Slovenia and Western Balkans Matteo Rivellini said: “EIB investments will continue to support modern highways, flood protection and the clean water supply for Bosnia and Herzegovina. To date, more than EUR 516 million of EIB loans to support the realization of the 318 km Pan-European Corridor Vc in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been signed. The EU, on its side, has provided more than EUR 200 million in grants through numerous projects. Those projects are the result of a long and productive collaboration with all our counterparts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I would like to take the opportunity of this signature’s event today to congratulate all the persons involved in the preparation of those projects. We are looking forward for a continuous fruitful collaboration.”
To date, the EIB has invested EUR 191.1m in water and sewerage projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina including water and sanitation infrastructure development and emergency flood management and EUR 1.2bn in transport projects. Since the beginning of its operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1977, the EU bank has invested EUR 2.5bn in 68 projects throughout the country.
