June 14, 2019

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will open a new regional resident representative office to strengthen its relationship with Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Republic of North Macedonia. To be located in Vienna, the new office will help maintain a close engagement with the four countries as well as with donors, international institutions, including the World Bank, and the Austrian government, an important trade and development partner of the Western Balkan region.

The new office will be headed by Stephanie Eble, currently the Fund’s mission chief for Kosovo. A German national, she has previously worked on Ukraine, Greece, Serbia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. She is a graduate from the London School of Economics. Ms. Eble will oversee the local teams in the existing offices in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, which will be maintained. Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, which have active IMF programs, will remain with their own representatives.

“This new outpost in Vienna will be an important part of our ongoing relationship with these four countries, as they pursue European Union accession,” said IMF Deputy Managing Director Tao Zhang after meeting with the Governor of the Austrian National Bank, Ewald Nowotny, and Harald Waiglein, Director General of the Ministry of Finance, in Vienna. “Establishing it as a regional office is cost-effective and also helps us keep close to our members in the region and leading development partners,” he added.

The office will be operational in the fall, at a date to be announced.