Podgorica – Italy continues to play a leading role in advancing European integration for the Western Balkans through the CEI Fund at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), entirely financed by the Italian government.
This was highlighted during two high-level events organized in Podgorica (May 26) and Sarajevo (May 27) by the Central European Initiative (CEI), the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), and the EBRD. Participants included government ministers from Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, CEI national coordinators, Italian ambassadors Andreina Marsella (Podgorica) and Sara Eti Castellani (Sarajevo), MAECI's national coordinator, directors from the EBRD and the CEI Executive Secretariat, along with local officials, entrepreneurs, and civil society representatives.
Central to the discussions were the tangible results of the Fund’s two main programs: the Technical Cooperation Program (TC) and the Know-How Exchange Program (KEP). To date, over 90 projects have been funded in Montenegro (approx. €9 million) and more than 120 in Bosnia and Herzegovina (over €15.5 million), delivering significant impact in key sectors such as infrastructure, energy, youth entrepreneurship, and institutional strengthening.
“The CEI Fund at the EBRD is a concrete example of diplomacy in support of EU enlargement,” said CEI Secretary General Franco Dal Mas. “We will continue supporting convergence with EU goals, investments, and best practice sharing across CEI member states on their path toward EU membership.”