The European Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement has appointed Mott MacDonald as technical consultants on the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) initiative.

Mott MacDonald has been awarded the €4 million (US$5.5 million) contract for a period of 2 years. The consultancy will support the coordination of socio-economic development interventions initiated and implemented by the EC, international financing institutions and bilateral donors in Western Balkans beneficiary countries as part of their WBIF initiative.

WBIF focuses on helping development in the Western Balkans - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia - in infrastructure with emphasis in the transport, energy, environment and social sectors. Private sector development and energy efficiency have recently been added as areas that are now supported.

In winter 2013-14, 178 grant awards have been made to 145 projects that are, or have been, supported by WBIF. These projects are helped by WBIF grants totaling over €300 million which, in turn, have attracted investment loans worth €6.4 billion from International Financial Institutions (IFIs). The full value of the projects' complete development costs is in excess of €13 billion.

Wim Verheugt, Mott MacDonald's project director, stated:

This key appointment will allow us to place a team of experts at the very heart of the EC in Brussels. Our services will support strategy and policy development, project identification and monitoring and communication in the energy, environment, social issues and transport sectors.