Gordana Kovacevic
- European Investment Bank
- Communication Department
- Vladimira Popovića 38-40
- 11070 Belgrade
During his first visit to Serbia, the European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice-President, responsible for the Western Balkans, Robert de Groot attended the signature ceremony for an €80 million loan with Elektrodistribucija Srbije d.o.o (EDS), Serbia’s electricity distribution company, to replace obsolete electromechanical metering devices with around 400 000 smart meters. As part of a wider electricity grid modernisation programme, the installation of new smart meters will help the distribution system operator reduce electricity losses, improve collection rates and facilitate the integration of renewables in the near future. The signature ceremony was attended by the Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović, Business Systems Director of EDS Vjekoslav Bobar, and State Secretary for the Ministry of Finance Ana Tripović.
In the presence of high-level government and EU officials, the European Investment Bank (EIB) Global has signed a €75.5 million financial agreement for the reconstruction of a 167 km long railway section between Bar, Podgorica and Vrbnica. These infrastructural improvements along the extended Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) will improve rail capacity, efficiency and safety, benefiting over 1 million passengers a year and international freight traffic. The project will also promote a modal shift from road to rail, contributing to a more sustainable transport system in the country.
EIB Global, the arm of the European Investment Bank (EIB) for financing activities outside the European Union, has signed a €100 million loan with Albania under a Team Europe financial package for the modernisation and electrification of a 120 km railway line from Vorë in central Albania to Hani i Hotit on the border with Montenegro. The project is in line with strategic EU support for the construction and rehabilitation of key railway sections in the Western Balkans, aiming to increase the accessibility and attractiveness of the rail transportation, contributing to socioeconomic development, better trade links, the shift to more sustainable modes of transport and the decarbonisation of local economies.