Enabling expansion of agrifood trade in the Western Balkans (EBRD-24902-166813)

Regions
  • Europe and Central Asia
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Albania
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Kosovo
  • Montenegro
  • North Macedonia
  • Serbia
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Specific Location
Western Balkans
Whenever identified, the area within countries where the impacts of the investment may be experienced. Exact locations of projects may not be identified fully or at all in project documents. Please review updated project documents and community-led assessments.
Financial Institutions
  • European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
U
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Borrower
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Agriculture and Forestry
  • Law and Government
  • Technical Cooperation
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Grant
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
Not Disclosed
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ EBRD website

Updated in EWS Nov 11, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Nov 2, 2026

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the Bank’s website, although tariff barriers to trade in agricultural products in the Western Balkans region are generally low, due to gradual convergence to duty-free trade with the European Union and within the region, a number of non-tariff barriers and measures in the region remain, hindering further trade expansion.

The project therefore aims to enhance regulatory efficiency and transparency in relation to the agri-food trade in the Western Balkans region, support improvements in the control and inspection systems and enhancement in the laboratory capacity, facilitate public-private cooperation in this area and, overall, contribute to strengthened food safety and quality in the region.

For over 25 years, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ("FAO") and the EBRD have been working together to drive more sustainable food systems and private sector development, combining technical expertise and investment capacity in the Bank's regions of operations. In recent decades, the joint FAO/EBRD work has supported the emergence of commercially viable, environmentally sustainable, and resilient local food supply chains across subsectors in the Western Balkans and other regions.

Building on past results and lessons learned, FAO and EBRD are committed to extending support and upscaling ongoing efforts to upgrade quality standards and promote the adoption of best practices, strengthen the capacity of small-scale producers, and streamline market access. This in turn, can provide opportunities for further business for larger players.

TC Services: The project would focus on the following key areas and activities:
1. Strengthening food quality and safety regulatory frameworks
2. Enhancing trade transparency and efficiency
3. Strengthening risk-based customs procedures
4. Promoting regional trade harmonization
5. Support to private sector implementation

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

Investment amount not available at the time of disclosure.


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

No contacts available at the time of disclosure.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can request information by emailing: accessinfo@ebrd.com or by using this electronic form: https://www.ebrd.com/eform/information-request

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF EBRD

The Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM) is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who have been or are likely to be adversely affected by an European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the PCM, it may assess compliance with EBRD's own policies and procedures to prevent harm to the environment or communities or it may assist you in resolving the problem that led to the complaint through a dialogue with those implementing the project. Additionally, the PCM has the authority to recommend a project be suspended in the event that harm is imminent.

You can contact the PCM at: pcm@ebrd.com or you can submit a complaint online using an online form at: http://www.ebrd.com/eform/pcm/complaint_form?language=en

You can learn more about the PCM and how to file a complaint at: http://www.ebrd.com/work-with-us/project-finance/project-complaint-mechanism.html

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How it works