The Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) was created by the European Commission and international financial institutions, which represent the leading entities in providing donations and development investments in the region. The aim of this instrument is to create a greater synergy between donors and investors, so that the beneficiary countries use the funds in the most efficient way.
Within the framework of the WBIF, it is possible to propose projects at the national and regional level in the fields of environment, energy and energy efficiency, transport, social activities and digital infrastructure. Through this instrument, the European Commission approves grants for financing the preparation of project documentation and providing technical prerequisites for the start of project implementation, while project implementation is financed through loans from international financial institutions and eventually through EU grants. The Ministry of European Affairs (Office of the National Coordinator for IPA) is in charge of coordinating the programming process and monitoring the implementation of all projects financed through the WBIF.
The project proposal process implies that:
- Project applicants in the phase of preparing the project application actively cooperate with the relevant ministry in a certain area in order to define a list of priority projects in accordance with the priorities defined in the Unified list of priority infrastructure projects.
- Project proposals receive support from an international financial institution (European Investment Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Development Bank of the Council of Europe, German Development Bank, French Development Bank or World Bank);
- The line ministry consults with the Ministry of Finance on budget planning and the amount of borrowing;
- The relevant ministry submits project proposals to the Office of the National Coordinator for IPA, after which the package of proposed projects is submitted to the European Commission;
- Project financiers’ group (PFG), which is made up of representatives of the European Commission and international financial institutions, decides in closed sessions which projects will be supported;
- The steering committee, in which representatives of the beneficiary countries, the European Commission and international financial institutions participate, officially adopts the projects approved by the PFG.
About 408.5 million euros have been allocated to Montenegro within the framework of the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), including projects within the framework of the Berlin Process. From this amount, when it comes to the preparation of project documentation, within thirty calls for support in the preparation of project documentation, 50 national projects were approved for Montenegro, with a total value of 64.75 million euros, which are implemented through the Instrument for Infrastructure Projects – IPF.
You can find more information about the instrument on the website: www.wbif.eu