Medias will scale up urban regeneration with a RON 38 million (€7.7 million) EBRD loan Cities account for 70 per cent of energy use, 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions The EBRD’s fast-expanding €3 billion urban sustainability programme, EBRD Green Cities, has reached a new growth milestone, with Medias in Romania becoming the 50th city to sign up to improve the environment in which its citizens live and plan a more sustainable future. The EBRD will lend Medias RON 38 million (€ 7.7 million) to part-fund a bigger EU project to improve its infrastructure. “We are delighted that Medias is becoming EBRD Green Cities’ 50th member,” said Nandita Parshad, Managing Director, EBRD Sustainable Infrastructure Group. “When it comes to addressing the climate emergency, cities must be front and centre given the need for clean air, decarbonised urban transportation and green and reliable energy access for all. This is why we established our flagship EBRD Green Cities Programme - to introduce bottom up planning for green priority investments for cities.” Medias, located in Sibiu County in the central Romanian region of Transylvania, is an existing EBRD client. The city is looking to revitalise its public infrastructure as pre-requisite for business and economic development in the region. The city, with a population of approximately 56,400 inhabitants, suffers from legacy infrastructure issues across its transport network, public buildings and road systems. Medias plans to address these issues through a broad programme of investments, focused on accelerating the City’s sustainable development and transition to a low-carbon future. Cities, which account for 70 per cent of energy use and 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, represent a big opportunity to tackle climate change and environmental degradation. This is particularly true of cities in the EBRD regions, where obsolete urban infrastructure diminishes the quality of life of citizens, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and preventing communities from adapting to climate change. EBRD Green Cities was launched in 2016 with just €250 million of funding, which was expected to last five years. The programme proved so popular that its funding was quickly increased. EBRD Green Cities has won support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and attracted significant levels of co-finance, expanding the number of cities that can be supported and further raising the level of ambition. EBRD Green Cities offers tangible support to help cities address their environmental issues and improve the quality of life of their residents. All participating cities embark on a trigger project to improve their local environment then, with EBRD help, work on a Green City Action Plan (GCAP) to create a tailor-made list of further environmental investments and policy changes most suitable to address their environmental challenges. In the case of Medias, the trigger project will be work on rehabilitating, modernising and improving energy efficiency in public buildings, as well as public transport investments supporting e-mobility. Both will bring significant greenhouse gas emissions savings. The EBRD loan will represent the city’s co-financing of a larger investment for a total value of RON 138.4 million (€28.1 million), approved under the relevant EU Regional Operational Programme in Romania. Medias is the 3rd green city in Romania, after Craiova and Iasi, while Timisoara and Constanta are expected to join the programme soon. To date, EBRD has signed 8.8 billion in over 460 projects in Romania.
In a world where remote, hybrid, or flexible work has become the norm, connections between colleagues outside the office are more important than ever. Recent studies show that these bonds boost performance, engagement, and employee loyalty, and companies that understand this are increasingly investing in shared experiences. It’s not just about fun; it’s an essential […]
Romanian far-right, pro-Russian member of the European Parliament Diana Șoșoacă was present in Moscow on October 19, where she participated in the 20th anniversary of the Russia Today television station, an event attended by president Vladimir Putin. The MEP’s presence in Moscow was announced by the party she leads, SOS Romania, and presented as a […]
The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) has warned of a coordinated online disinformation campaign spreading false information about the recent explosion at the apartment building in Bucharest’s Rahova district, which killed three people and injured 15 others. In a statement released on Monday, October 20, SRI said that in recent days, numerous conspiracy...
The “Madrigal – Marin Constantin” National Chamber Choir will perform in Spain for the first time in 31 years as part of a special tour celebrating Romania’s National Day and the long-standing diplomatic ties between the two countries. Between November 24 and 30, under the direction of Anna Ungureanu, the choir will hold concerts in […]
Exim Banca Românească will organize, in the coming period, a series of meetings with representatives of the business communities in the main economic centres of the country, an initiative that is part of the Bank’s strategic endeavour to strengthen the partnership with the business environment and to gather relevant market perspectives, to underpin the development […]
Romanian Border Police have seized roughly 22 kilograms of cannabis at Bucharest’s Henri Coandă International Airport (Otopeni) after discovering the drugs in the checked luggage of a 35-year-old Albanian citizen arriving from Athens, Greece. According to the official statement, officers from the Bucharest Airports...
