• EIB Vice-President Dario Scannapieco welcomes Kosovo* Finance Minister Bedri Hamza in Luxembourg
• EUR 80 million loan for Peja-Kijeve motorway in Kosovo (Route 6 linking Pristina to Montenegro)

An EIB delegation led by Vice-President Dario Scannapieco, responsible for operations in the Western Balkans, welcomed Kosovo* Finance Minister Bedri Hamza at the EIB’s headquarters in Luxembourg today. On the occasion, a EUR 80 million EIB loan to Kosovo was signed for the construction of a new 30 km single carriageway motorway on Route 6b between Peja and Kijeve.

This project is part of the South-East Europe Transport Observatory (SEETO) Route 6b, linking the Kosovo capital Pristina to the border with Montenegro. It will help to improve regional transport integration and the development of strategic connections with the neighbouring countries. Alongside the EIB financing representing the largest loan ever signed by Kosovo with an International Financial Institution, a EUR 3,2m grant under the Western Balkan Investment Framework (WBIF) complemented by a EUR 1m grant under the EIB’s Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI), will support the preparation and the implementation of the project.

During the meeting, Vice-President Scannapieco discussed with Minister Hamza the main issues concerning the EIB activity in Kosovo and reinforced the Bank’s commitment to supporting the country’s economic growth and further socio-economic development.

“We are extremely pleased to sign our biggest loan to date with Kosovo. The investment will have significant impact on Kosovo’s economic growth and will further enhance its integration with the rest of the Western Balkans region, bringing it closer to Europe. This signature is evidence of the EIB’s support for improving vital infrastructure in the region and is also the outcome of excellent cooperation between Kosovo and the EIB, which I am confident will continue in the future” said EIB Vice-President Scannapieco.

“Kosovo is very happy to further intensify cooperation with the European Investment Bank through the financing of the new highway that connects the capital city Pristina with Peja. The Government of Kosovo considers the EIB a strategic partner on our path to development and EU integration, and this will be reflected by the investment that we will undertake jointly in other areas such as the private sector, and the environment and health sectors”, Minister Hamza added.

In line with the Framework Agreement with Kosovo of 7 June 2013 and the MoU signed on 11 July 2017 at the Western Balkans Summit in Trieste, this loan is the second EIB operation with the public sector in Kosovo, after a first EUR 42 million loan to support the Route 10 Rail project.

The EIB

The EIB in the Western Balkans

The Economic resilience initiative (ERI)

The Western Balkans investment framework