Representatives of the EBRD Board of Directors will visit Lithuania and Poland from 26 to 30 September. The mission will express solidarity with governments and businesses tackling the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, appreciate the public and private sectors for accommodating refugees and discuss strategic priorities for EBRD investment.
The mission to Lithuania takes place exactly a year after the EBRD adopted its new country strategy determining investment and policy priorities until 2026. In Poland, the mission will explore future investment and policy reform priorities for the EBRD, which will inform the new country strategy for 2023-28.
The EBRD Board Directors will meet with the two countries’ authorities, private sector businesses, civil society and the diplomatic community, as well as visit EBRD investment projects in Vilnius, Warsaw and Krakow. At the end of the trip, the delegation will lay flowers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial.
At the start of the war on Ukraine, the EBRD was among the first international financial institutions to approve a €2 billion Resilience and Livelihoods Framework to support Ukraine and other countries affected by the war, including central Europe and the Baltic states accepting displaced Ukrainians. Several EBRD private sector clients in Lithuania and Poland have created job opportunities for Ukrainian refugees.
Board directors represent one or more of the EBRD’s 73 shareholders: 71 countries plus the EU and the EIB. The EBRD Board of Directors approves investment projects and the Bank’s strategies and policies.
The EBRD Board will be represented by:
- Migle Tuskiene, Alternate Director for Denmark, Lithuania, Ireland and Kosovo
- Wioletta Barwicka-Lofthouse, Director for Poland, Bulgaria and Albania
- Jose Leandro, Director for the European Union
- Michael Offer, Director for Germany
- Klara Krol, Director for the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Slovak Republic, Croatia and Georgia
- Shigeto Hiki, Director for Japan
- Kristina Åkesson, Alternate Director for Sweden, Iceland and Estonia
- Massimo Carnelos, Alternate Director for Italy
- Jon Nicolaisen, Alternate Director for Finland, Norway, Latvia and Lebanon
- Clément Seitz, Alternate Director for France
- Artem Shevalev, Alternate Director for Switzerland, Ukraine, Liechtenstein, Turkmenistan, Serbia, Montenegro and Uzbekistan.
The Bank’s senior management accompanying the mission will include Charlotte Ruhe, Managing Director for Central and South-Eastern Europe; Elisabetta Falcetti, Regional Director for Central Europe and the Baltic States; and Edward Bannerman, Director for Shareholder Relations.
Since the start of its operations over 30 years ago, the EBRD has invested more than €1.3 billion in Lithuania and €11.7 billion in Poland in hundreds of projects ranging from renewable energy and infrastructure to capital markets development and small business support.
In 2022 the Bank expects to invest up to €350 million in the Baltic states and €800 million in Poland.
