EBRD funds electric public transport in Sarajevo to tackle air pollution

EPA-EFE/FEHIM DEMIR
Haze in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 17 January 2020. The city is currently covered with a thick layer of fog. It is recommended to residents of Sarajevo to reduce traffic on the roads.

- Advertisement -

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on 5 February the bank is financing major investments to improve public transport in Sarajevo, with CO2 emission reductions likely to exceed 30%, in an effort to tackle the alarming air pollution in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to the EBRD, two loan agreements supported under the bank’s Green Cities programme were signed between the EBRD and the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 5 February. The projects will directly benefit the Canton of Sarajevo, the EBRD said.
“The number one environmental challenge in Sarajevo is air quality, with cleaner and greener transport seen as one of the key means of addressing it,” EBRD Managing Director for Central and South-Eastern Europe Charlotte Ruhe said. “These two new EBRD Green City projects will provide residents with efficient and green public transport. Not only will the investments improve air quality by reducing vehicle emissions, but modernisation will also have an indirect impact by supporting a shift away from polluting diesel cars,” she added.
A €20 million loan will finance the overhaul of the 19.5 km-long dual-track tramline run by the cantonal public transport operator Gradski saobraćaj d.o.o. Sarajevo (GRAS). The current tram network is almost 50 years old and with no major improvements in decades it has deteriorated significantly. New tracks will improve the network and enable the purchase of new, cleaner trams.
The second EBRD loan, of up to €15 million, will allow GRAS to buy up to 25 new electric trolleybuses. Together with the new tram tracks, the buses will improve the overall quality and comfort of public transport as well as the capacity and efficiency of the service. The upgraded trolleybus fleet will also consume approximately 50% less electricity, resulting in significant cost savings and environmental benefits, the EBRD said.
Sarajevo Canton joined the Green Cities programme in May 2017 and has since worked on developing an action plan with support from the government of Japan. Sarajevo is the third city in Bosnia and Herzegovina to become a member of EBRD Green Cities, after Banja Luka and Zenica. The programme also includes investments in the water supply network in Sarajevo.

- Advertisement -

Subscribe to our newsletter

Co-founder / Director of Energy & Climate Policy and Security at NE Global Media

Latest

EU Commission plans Russian gas phaseout as MEPs propose easing pre-winter storage targets

Ensuring gas supply security ahead of the winter season,...

What chance for peace in Sudan?

The conflict in Sudan has raged for two years,...

The ruling of the EU Court on “Golden passports” and the consequences in Tirana

“Whatever the European Court decides," and “If it says...

Don't miss

EU Commission plans Russian gas phaseout as MEPs propose easing pre-winter storage targets

Ensuring gas supply security ahead of the winter season,...

What chance for peace in Sudan?

The conflict in Sudan has raged for two years,...

The ruling of the EU Court on “Golden passports” and the consequences in Tirana

“Whatever the European Court decides," and “If it says...

Taking off: Qatar’s strategic rise in global aviation

For Qatar, an important development took place recently as...

EU Commission plans Russian gas phaseout as MEPs propose easing pre-winter storage targets

Ensuring gas supply security ahead of the winter season, the European Parliament approved in Strasbourg on May 8 the Commission's proposal to extend the...

The Geoeconomic Repercussions of Trump’s Tariff Pause: A Balkan Perspective

On April 2, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs under the banner of “Liberation Day”—a dramatic economic maneuver that reintroduced a 10...

U.S.-China tariff struggle, Iran issue affect energy demand, oil prices

International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol said on April 23 oil prices may decline further this year due to slow demand growth...

Romania utilizing all available resources to boost its energy independence

Romania is using all energy resources available, including natural gas as the country advances rapidly with Neptun Deep gas project and new wind and...

Apollo Funds to partner with BP on TANAP gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey

British energy company BP said on March 21 it has reached agreements for Apollo-managed funds to purchase a 25 percent non-controlling stake in BP...

Caspian-Black Sea Green Energy Corridor countries push project forward

The Ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary and Romania met in Budapest on March 10, where they signed a joint letter to EU Energy Commissioner...

EU signs critical raw materials, energy and infrastructure deals with Kazakhstan

As part of the visit of EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela to Astana, the European Union and Kazakhstan signed on March 13...

Weaning Europe off its Russian gas addiction

The Viking hero Ragnar Lodbrok once said “don't waste your time looking back. You're not going that way.” The words of the former king...