17 May 2012: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced that it hit a record €454 million donor support in 2011.According to the EBRD Donor Report, the support received has helped promote investments throughout the region where EBRD is active, including emerging democracies in the Middle East and North Africa. Donor funds have stimulated reforms and improved the investment climate.

Since Norway became the first country to provide the Bank with funds, a total of 42 donors have now created partnerships with the EBRD. Record donor funding in 2011 coincided with a record for total EBRD investments last year of €9.1 billion. With donor funding, in 2011 EBRD started activities in the southern and eastern Mediterranean region. The European Union, Australia, Finland, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom provided funding for such activities. The EBRD also allocated €20 million from its net income. Some of the funded projects include providing expertise to small and medium-sized businesses.

In 2011, bilateral donors provided most of the resources, with €193 million and another €62 million in concessional loan funds. The European Union, the Bank’s largest contributor, has provided increasing support from its national programmes and regional platforms at €118 million. Donor funding has also helped EBRD improve living conditions and economic opportunities, in countries like Tajikistan, where, following years of under-investment in the water sector, water and wastewater services are currently being improved in 15 cities. [EBRD News]