EBRD INVESTED 150 MILLION EUROS IN BOSNIAN PUBLIC SECTOR LAST YEAR

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 17,2008) – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) invested more than 150 million Euros in the public sector in Bosnia last year.The bank was the leading foreign lender in Bosnia last year, the Head of the EBRD Office in Sarajevo Giulio Moreno said.

After presenting the EBRD Transition Report for 2007, Moreno told the press in the northern Bosnian city of Banja Luka that EBRD’s plans for both public and private sectors in 2008 are extensive, with planned investments in the former amounting to EUR 250 million.

The six projects in 2008 include, building a section of the Vc Corridor, enhancements in the Elektrokrajina power system, the Blue Water project for wastewaters, and projects for raising security levels at Banja Luka, Mostar and Tuzla airports.

EBRD’s report also states how the reform progress was visible in the successful privatization of several large companies in Bosnia. The EBRD expects Bosnia’s GDP in 2008 to grow at the rate of five per cent.