Bosnia's Finance Minister Vjekoslav Bevanda and director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Manuela Nassl signed two agreements Wednesday worth €7 million, for the Blue Water regional project, and the construction of a local landfill in Zivinice, central Bosnia.

The first agreement between Bosnia and the EBRD is worth €2 million and these funds were provided by the Swedish Development Agency SIDA in support of the regional Blue Water project. The project was earlier supported by the EBRD and the European Council's Development Bank (ECB) with €11 million from each institution.

“The implementation of this project will ensure a long-term water supply for municipalities of Travnik, Zenica, Novi Travnik, Vitez and Busovaca, thus supplying water to 250,000 residents,” Bevanda said.

The second agreement concerns the project of a regional solid waste landfill in Zivinice and provides funds worth €5 million. It aims to solve the long-standing waste problem in the city of Zivinice, the municipalities of Banovici and Kladanj, in such a way that it introduces the waste management standard in a simple way and brings standards closer to those in the EU.

The EBRD's Manuela Naessl said that both projects will improve the quality and sustainability of services provided to citizens at the local level.