The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) delivered strong support to Serbia in 2021, with investments in the country last year reaching EUR 0.5 billion. Around 40 percent of these were in environmental infrastructure, green energy transition, the circular economy and energy efficiency.
Matteo Colangeli, EBRD Regional Director for the Western Balkans, Head of Serbia, said: “Last year’s results underscore our commitment to Serbia’s green economy transition. We will continue to work with public and private sector partners on sustainable infrastructure and strengthening the country’s competitiveness.”
The year was marked by a number of landmark projects. In infrastructure, the EBRD supported a major regional waste management programme, aimed at constructing sanitary landfills and increasing recycling, as well as investing in the roll-out of broadband in rural areas and upgrading irrigation facilities in Vojvodina.
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At the municipal level, the Bank financed energy efficiency improvements to public buildings in Belgrade, a fleet of electric buses in Novi Sad, and the decarbonisation of Kragujevac’s district heating through the installation of new boilers.
Most of the EBRD’s financing in Serbia continued to be in the private sector and was channeled primarily through local banks by way of trade finance and other facilities supporting green investments by small and medium-sized enterprises, residential energy efficiency, and access to finance for female entrepreneurs.
Since the EBRD began investing in Serbia in 2001, total investments in Serbia have reached EUR 7.1 billion.
Source: EBRD
