The Banco de España participates in the II Regional Program for the Western Balkans (2022-2025), financed by the European Union
Following the success of the first ESCB regional technical assistance program in the Western Balkans, completed in 2021, the European Union (EU) through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III) finances a follow-up project, the Program for Strengthening the Central Bank Capacities in the Western Balkans with a view to the integration to the European System of Central Banks – Phase II.
The objective of the program is to strengthen the capacities of the beneficiary institutions, particularly the analytical tools and macroeconomic policy.
The programme was launched in September 2022 and has as beneficiaries the central banks of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (and their two banking supervision agencies), Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Twenty central banks of the ESCB and the European Central Bank participate in the programme, that has a duration of 3 years.
The Banco de España will continue the active participation it had in the first phase of the program (Phase I), strengthening institutional relations and its image as a reference in the ESCB in the area of international cooperation.
The first activity of the project took place in Madrid, in December 2022, with the organization and hosting by the Banco de España of a regional training event on Communication, which included experts from the central banks of France, Lithuania and the ECB.
The Banco de España’s participation is planned in four other regional activities on: Technology and Cybersecurity (April 2023), Internal Audit (May 2023), Governance: strategic planning, operational risk and business continuity, and Cash Management. The participation of the Banco is also expected in two High Level Seminars of the programme, on Governance and on Cash Management.
Within the framework of the programme, the Banco de España was identified as a preferred institution by the central banks of Albania (for legal matters) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (in the area of information systems and technology) to develop bilateral activities.
