Malta’s economic and social priorities during its EU presidency chimed perfectly with those of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, according to EBRD director Johannes Seiringer.

Addressing the press during a brief visit to Malta, Mr Seiringer said he was surprised at the similarities between the bank's focus on migration and those of the Maltese presidency.

The bank last year approved a €900 million refugee crisis plan for Turkey and Jordan.

The same was true of social inclusion, which he said was a major consideration for the EBRD.

Mr Seiringer said that just because the EBRD was a bank, “it doesn’t mean we are only interested in money”.

He was also interested in using Malta as a template for its neighbourhood policy. The way Malta’s economy had flourished could be used as a role model for other countries.

The EBRD was set up after the fall of the iron curtain to help stagnant economies grow. The international financial institution acts as a developmental investment bank, and uses investment as a tool to build market economies.

Initially focused on the countries of the former Eastern Bloc, Mr Seiringer said it had since expanded to support development in more than 30 countries from central Europe to central Asia.

 

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