REG/ EBRD: A BOOST FOR MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

www.ebrd.com The EBRD and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) are spearheading efforts to improve the municipal infrastructure in the Western Balkans with the launch of a new fund, the Municipal Infrastructure Development Facility (MIDF). The target size of the Fund – established with contributions from the governments of Germany and Switzerland – is €100 million, of which €40 million would be provided by the EBRD. MIDF’s main objectives are to stimulate the growth of the municipal lending market and to achieve long term sustainability in municipal services in the Western Balkans. The Fund will introduce a new and much-needed element to infrastructure financing, in that it is focused on lending to small and medium-sized municipalities which traditionally have limited capacity to prepare sustainable infrastructure projects and are facing difficulties accessing commercial bank funding. MIDF has been designed for the Western Balkans, and within this group the Fund’s strategy will be to focus on Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia in accordance with local needs. Eligible projects to be financed by the Fund are expected to have a minimum loan size of €100,000, and a maximum of €5 million.

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