Western Balkans beneficiaries receive guidance on revised WBIF application form
A series of training sessions has been delivered in September 2025 across the six Western Balkans economies — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia — to familiarise officials and project teams with the newly revised application form for Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) funding.
Organised by the WBIF Secretariat, the workshops brought together representatives from line ministries, EU delegations, and financial institutions.
More than 300 participants explored step-by-step guidance on preparing funding requests, with practical exercises tailored to developing terms of reference for different types of activities.
The new application process introduces several key improvements:
• A two-phased approach: the first phase contains only information needed for a meaningful understanding of the project by the European Commission; only projects progressing to the second phase need to provide detailed information on the full application form.
• Digitally generated terms of reference: following the successful completion of the second phase of application, the information is used to generate automatically the terms of reference, ready to accompany project activities.
• More opportunities for technical assistance: there will be up to four opportunities per year to apply for technical support to prepare sound infrastructure projects, such as environmental impact assessments, procurement procedures or detailed designs.
• More efficient pathway to funding: By streamlining the application process, the time from submission to approval will be reduced, and there is opportunity to revise project proposals and re-submit.
“By refining the application process and supporting administrations through targeted training, we aim to ensure that well-prepared, sustainable investments can move forward more quickly,” said Marta Brites, Head of Section – Western Balkans Investment Framework. “These changes will help projects better reflect EU priorities and deliver tangible benefits for people across the region.”
The participants overwhelmingly found the training useful, with half of the post-event survey respondents indicating that the process seems even easier than before.
According to organisers, the revised process aims to accelerate preparation of high-quality investment projects and ensure closer alignment with EU standards. Further support materials, including an updated user manual and FAQs, are available on the WBIF website.
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*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
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About WBIF and Global Gateway
The Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) contributes directly to Global Gateway, the EU’s strategy to boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport, while strengthening health, education and research systems worldwide. Global Gateway aims to mobilise up to €300 billion worldwide in investments through a Team Europe approach, bringing together the EU, its Member States and financial institutions to leverage investments for a transformational impact.
