Activities

The CEB performs a catalytic role in financing and promoting projects aimed and facilitating the return of refugees ad strengthening social cohesion in SEE. The Bank has provided financial support for a broad range of social projects, involving the following core sectors:

• Refugees, migrants and displaced persons

• Social cohesion including health, education, social housing, vocational training, job creation in SME

• Natural disasters, environment protection, municipality infrastructure

Over the period 1995-2004, the CEB has provided some € 86 million of its approved financing for the environmental sector in SEE (13% of all CEB approved lending).

Protection of the environment is explicitly mentioned as one of the Bank’s fields of action, and the resolution identifies specific kinds of environmental projects the Bank can finance. An important mission of the Bank is to prevent natural or ecological disasters, like floods. In South East Europe, the Council of Europe Development Bank has been financing flood management projects in Bulgaria and Romania. But the CEB also focuses on the reduction and treatment of solid and liquid waste, on the purification and protection of surface and ground water and on soil and ground water decontamination.

Criteria for funding and the funding process

There are four general criteria that projects have to meet in order to be eligible for CEB funding. These are:

• compliance with the Council of Europe conventions

• respect for the environment on the basis of international conventions and compliance with standards of quality

• the CEB’s share in the project may not exceed 50% of the total eligible cost

• compliance with bidding procedures in accordance with national and international directives