Letter to the World Bank Board on the Serbia – Strategic Gas Infrastructure and Institutional Strengthening Project

Joint letter    |    22 September 2026

In this joint letter we urge the World Bank Board to defer approval of the Serbia – Strategic Gas Infrastructure and Institutional Strengthening Project, and request a fundamental reassessment of its rationale, alternatives and climate compatibility.

The proposed IBRD commitment of USD 195.5 million would finance a new gas transmission pipeline and institutional reforms in Serbia’s energy sector.

Serbia is already having trouble meeting its existing gas needs, and has refused to stop buying Russian gas due to its lower prices. Yet the country is planning to massively increase consumption by building new gas power plants. International financial institutions should not be encouraging such short-sighted moves, and must align with the EU, which has stopped financing gas infrastructure in the Western Balkans.