• European Commission
• Enlargement
• Projects in focus
• Cooperation with the International Financial Institutions

Cooperation with the International Financial Institutions

Meetings and events

Introduction

The International Financial Institutions (IFIs) Advisory Group was established in March 2007 and is chaired by the European Commission (DG Enlargment).
The purpose of the IFI Advisory Group is to support and improve the overall co-operation between the IFIs and the European Commission in the candidate and potential candidate countries, including co-operation under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).
The IFI Advisory Group consists of representatives from the European Commission, World Bank Group (IBRD/IFC), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Council of Europe Development Bank, the Regional Cooperation Council (successor to the Stability Pact), Nordic Investment Bank, Nordic Environment Finance Corporation, and the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank. Its work is part of an overall effort to integrate the countries of South East Europe amongst themselves and to the EU through developing infrastructure within a regional approach, instead of on a national level.

Scope of Work

The IFI Advisory Group:

• Provides advice on issues high on the political agenda at both regional and national level on the basis of specific needs;
• Addresses issues linked to the development of infrastructure, national and regional, including harmonisation of approaches to infrastructure projects;
• Exchanges information and experience and provides advice on the design of new initiatives and programmes; and,
• Identify/explore possibilities of improving regional financial co-operation between the Commission and IFIs based on the comparative advantages of each institution in the region.

As to the sectoral and thematic scope, the IFI-AG focuses on the following four sectors:

• energy,
• transport,
• environment
• human development, employment & social protection

A working group has been set up for each of these sectors. These working groups cooperate closely with various regional initiatives such as the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the South Eastern Europe Transport Observatory (SEETO), the Energy Community Secretariat (ECS) and the Regional Environmental Council (REC). The IFI Advisory Group can also address cross-cutting policy and methodological issues such as such as fiscal sustainability and the right financing-mix, coherence of IFIs support with national public expenditure programmes, preventive measures against crowd-outs of social expenditures, Public Private Partnerships, transparency in bidding procedures and overall Public Investment prioritisation.

Meetings and events
The IFI Advisory Group meets approximately twice per year and is supported by its sectoral Working Group meetings which also meet twice per year.

IFI Advisory Group Plenary Sessions

• 15 March 2007 [989 KB]
• 23 January 2008 [2 MB]
• 24 June 2008 [584 KB]
• 15 December 2008 [4 MB]
• 26 January 2009 (planned – focus on Financial Crisis)

Transport Working Group

• 10 September 2007 [2 MB]
• 14 April 2008 [15 MB]
• 19 November 2008 [987 KB]

Energy

• 25 September 2007 [2 MB]
• 6 May 2008 [98 KB]
• 18 November 2008 [2 MB]

Environment

• 26 October 2007 [281 KB]
• 17 April 2008 [615 KB]
• 18 November 2008 [2 MB]

Human Development

• 22 January 2008 [2 MB]
• 17 June 2008 [15 MB]

For any question on the IFI Advisory Group contact:

ELARG-IFIAG@ec.europa.eu