Strasburg, 27/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - On 30-31 March, Sarajevo will host a Regional Energy Summit organised by the European Reconstruction and Development Bank (ERDB) and the Energy Community, which counts among its members seven South-East European countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) in addition to the EU. Discussion at the Forum, which will be attended by Bosnian Prime Minister Nikola Spiric, European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, ERDB President Thomas Mirow and the Head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Claude Mandil, will focus on investment opportunities in electricity generation and promotion of renewable energy in the Balkans, highlighting the importance of regional cooperation in the promotion of energy efficiency and green energy in South-East Europe. On the sidelines of the Forum, the ERDB will launch two new energy loan instruments for the Western Balkans. The aim is to raise the region's poor energy performance. The IEA says that, because of the old energy infrastructure, a great deal of energy is lost in generation, transport and distribution; performance in final consumption energy efficiency is also poor. The countries of South-East Europe waste two and half times more energy than European countries that are members of the OECD. The ERDB will, then, launch: - a Western Balkans Sustainable Energy Credit Line, with €60 million to fund energy efficiency projects and small-scale renewables projects, and up to €16 million in incentives and funding for technical cooperation; - a Sustainable Energy Direct Financing Facility, providing €50 million for SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) energy efficiency projects in industry and up to €11 million in incentives and technical cooperation funding. (E.H./transl.rt)