EIB commits additional funding to the CEB’s Migrant and Refugee Fund

CEB Governor Rolf Wenzel and EIB Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova signed a€250 000 contribution agreement for the CEB’s Migrant and Refugee Fund (MRF) to support the improvement of living conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s refugee camps and centres. The Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Johann Sattler, attended the virtual event.

The contribution will finance non-food items and operating expenses as well as essential services to the residents of the camps and centres and to the Lipa camp in particular.

The agreement follows on a €5 million contribution made by the EIB shortly after the establishment of the MRF, in October 2015, and confirms EIB’s status as the second-largest contributor to the MRF, after the CEB. The contribution will complement EU-funded humanitarian assistance for refugees and migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Governor Rolf Wenzel thanked Ambassador Johann Sattler for his interest in the CEB’s activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and welcomed the EIB’s contribution. He said: “The European Union, through the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, is our largest donor and privileged partner. I would like to thank the EIB for its renewed support to the MRF, which reconfirms the Fund’s relevance. In the coming weeks, the Bank’s services will translate this additional contribution and other MRF resources to concrete grant support for refugees and migrants located in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other places on the Balkan Route.”

Ambassador Johann Sattler said: “Recently, the BiH Ministry of Security has taken positive steps towards coordinating the migration response, such as launching the drafting of a migration strategy for 2021-2025 and setting up a permanent camp in Lipa, in line with international standards. In this context, we welcome the fact that the EIB and CEB come strongly and timely together on a matter of particular importance for the region, which needs international support and compassion. I am looking forward to our continued cooperation and coordination on migration.”

This agreement complements EIB’s €5 million contribution to the Migrant and Refugee Fund. This donation will help address the most urgent daily needs of migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also expands the multi-million support to communities affected by the migrant crisis extended through EIB`s Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI).