More than 70 participants from the European Commission - DG NEAR, WBIF financing institutions, bilateral donors, Western Balkans beneficiaries, and regional organisations attended the seventeenth Steering Committee meeting on KfW premises. 

Plenary discussions, chaired by Katarína Mathernová, Deputy Director General of DG NEAR, focused on energy efficiency initiatives in the region, as spearheaded by the European Commission, including the Green for Growth Fund (GGF), Western Balkans Regional Energy Efficiency Programme, and the recent high level visit on energy efficiency in Serbia. They also engaged with the economic outlook of the region and the ‘Berlin Process’ with a focus on the Connectivity Agenda. The closing notes indicated constant economic growth in the region, of approximately 4%, and on-track fiscal consolidation. The participants welcomed the process of creating a regional economic area with a focus on opportunities for youth and digital economies.

More details (individual presentations) can be found here.