BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 1. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is playing a pivotal role in strengthening economic governance and boosting competitiveness across the Western Balkans, said Matteo Colangeli, the EBRD’s Regional Director for the Western Balkans, in an interview with Trend.
"Economic governance and competitiveness are critical areas where the EBRD leverages public sector investments to drive sector and corporate governance reforms," Colangeli said. He emphasized that the bank’s efforts include regulatory reforms and direct collaboration with public sector partners across multiple countries in the region.
These initiatives are closely aligned with the European Union’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, aiming to support the region’s alignment with EU rules, standards, policies, and practices as part of the broader goal of future EU membership. "We embed policy dialogue within our investments to ensure that the impact of projects goes beyond financing and investments to also contribute to structural reforms," Colangeli explained.
A key example of this approach is the SOEs Management Assistance Reform and Transformation Programme, which integrates policy dialogue into public sector investment projects. This program advances commercialization efforts and tackles structural constraints within state-owned enterprises.
In addition to working with the public sector, the EBRD also focuses heavily on supporting micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) by improving their access to finance and business advisory services. "Supporting MSMEs through access to finance and business advice is another key aspect of our work," said Colangeli. "We foster innovation and competitiveness, helping MSMEs grow and facilitating their integration into the Common Regional and EU markets".
The bank’s advisory services have reached nearly 4,000 private sector representatives throughout the Western Balkans, significantly enhancing project implementation capacity across the region.
With these combined efforts, the EBRD aims to create a more competitive, well-governed economic environment that prepares Western Balkan countries for deeper integration with the European Union.
