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SARAJEVO, April 2 (FENA) - A reception was held tonight in Sarajevo marking the opening of the Desk Office of the European Investment Bank in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the premises of the Delegation of the European Union and the Office of the EU Special Representative to BiH.
Head of the Delegation and EU Special Representative to BiH, Ambassador Lars Gunnar Wigemark told reporters that the bank has been present in the region for a long time and that some of its activities date back to 1977, and that over the decades the investment portfolio has amounted to about 2.5 billion euros.
Ambassador Wigemark also noted that the EIB is the largest multilateral creditor and the largest development bank, three times larger than the World Bank.
He listed a number of projects that are ongoing or under preparation in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and RS that are supported by the European Investment Bank, primarily in the field of infrastructure, including the construction of road communications, healthcare centers and support to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The bank will provide support for the construction of the Gradiška bridge, as well as the bridge in Svilaj, whose construction should begin soon, said the ambassador.
Representative of the Desk Office of the European Investment Bank for the region of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro will be Sandrine Friscia, told reporters Head of the Operations of this financial institution in charge of the Balkans, Croatia and Slovenia Matteo Rivellini.
In his words, the bank's activities hit the record numbers last year in BiH and the region, and amounted to 1.1 billion euros in investments, of which 242 million euros in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Six financial agreements have been concluded for a wide range of activities, but the focus being on support to small and medium-sized enterprises.
In combination with the banking sector, the funds for this purpose have been allocated through Intesa Pro Credit and Raiffeisen Bank.
The employment of young people continues to be encouraged, also with the support to two sections on the Corridor 5-C in the Zenica and Mostar areas, as well as the section of the Banja Luka-Doboj motorway, where the construction was carried out according to the highest European standards.
A number of activities are planned in 2019 and the years to come, Matteo Rivellini announced.
The European Investment Bank is the largest multilateral financier in the world. According to information from the EU Delegation Office in Sarajevo, since 2008, it has invested 1.65 billion euros in projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, primarily in the transport infrastructure, healthcare system, flood protection system and support to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Regional Office of the EIB for the Western Balkans region opened in 2010 in Belgrade.
(FENA) S. R.
