In 2025, the EIB Group invested €822 million in loans, guarantees, and grants to support new projects across the Western Balkans, mobilising nearly €1.5 billion in additional investments. Financing targeted sustainable transport, healthcare, education, energy, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), contributing to safer roads and railways, enhanced energy security, improved medical services, and climate-resilient infrastructure and businesses. The investments were closely aligned with the region’s EU accession efforts, strengthening market integration, connectivity, and the green transition, with 58% of funding directly supporting climate action.
The Bank played a leading role in sustainable transport infrastructure, providing major financing packages for strategic rail upgrades in Albania, Serbia, and Montenegro, alongside a €150 million loan for the modernisation of regional roads in Serbia. Inland waterway improvements in Serbia and ongoing support for Corridor Vc in Bosnia and Herzegovina further enhanced trade flows and regional integration. Energy security remained a priority, with projects including a €103 million loan for the Poklečani wind farm in Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside other renewable energy and electricity grid investments aimed at decarbonising the energy sector and diversifying supply.
Supporting regional SMEs and green innovation was another key focus. Initiatives included green credit lines, the EU for Green Agenda in Serbia, and the Innovation and Green Transformation Facility, which provided €187 million in loans and grants for investments in sustainable agriculture, digitalisation, and climate-resilient technologies. Programs also promoted inclusive employment, targeting women, young people, and people with disabilities, while EIF guarantees under the EU’s SME Resilience initiative mobilised financing for hundreds of projects and thousands of jobs.
Social infrastructure investments improved living standards across the region, with €20 million allocated to Montenegro’s digital education transformation, school safety assessments, and the opening of the Vladimir Nazor school. In Serbia, €157 million was committed to upgrading major clinical centres, alongside a €35.5 million EU grant for a new sewerage network in Belgrade, while Bosnia and Herzegovina benefited from ongoing support for the Banja Luka Clinical Centre.
Advisory support played a critical role in accelerating project implementation and guiding green investment. EIB Advisory, including JASPERS, provided technical assistance for numerous projects, developed climate risk frameworks and green taxonomies for local banks, and launched tools such as North Macedonia’s Decarbonisation Guide and the Green Eligibility Checker to simplify investment assessments.
Through these efforts, the EIB Group, including EIB Global, reinforced its role as a key financier of sustainable development and EU-aligned growth in the Western Balkans, supporting competitiveness, innovation, climate resilience, and the region’s path toward EU integration.
