Bosnia's state government appointed a delegation for talks with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and a 20 million dollar loan that would be used to tackle COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, Bosnia's Council of Ministers said on Tuesday.

The amount would be fully used for what the government named the Project of urgent support towards the COVID-19 outbreak in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a financial instrument that encompasses a wide range of support for healthcare and private sectors amid and after the coronavirus pandemic.

The Council of Ministers also approved the redistribution of money from the European Union’s IPA 2018, IPA 2019 and IPA 2020 funds (Instruments for Pre-Accession Assistance) towards the response to COVID-19 pandemic and migrant crisis, as proposed by the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia’s Directorate for European Integration, the state-level coordinator for IPA support, was tasked to immediately inform the EU Delegation about this decision.

Two million Euro from IPA 2018 are still available and will be utilised for medical tools and equipment, while 14 million Euro from IPA 2019 and IPA 2020 funds will be spent as support to small and medium enterprises.