BiH to submit Reform Plan to access EU Growth Plan by mid-August

Following a Council of Ministers session on Tuesday, Chair Borjana Kristo said only minor differences remained regarding the Reform Plan, which the country must commit to in order to qualify for EU financial support.

She explained that various levels of government had raised inexplicable objections to specific reform measures, prompting a thorough review process aimed at resolving the disagreements. “I see no reason why we wouldn’t be able to deal with these comments and objections by the end of the month.”

BiH recently forfeited over €100 million in EU aid after failing, once again, to meet the deadlines set by Brussels for submitting a reform plan, a prerequisite for participating in the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.

The fund, designed to support the Growth Plan, is valued at €6 billion, with over €1 billion earmarked for BiH. The initiative aims to accelerate Western Balkan integration with the EU’s single market by enhancing cross-border economic cooperation.

Kristo said the BiH authorities would notify the European Commission by 11 August that a harmonised Reform Plan had been agreed upon. This would pave the way for signing agreements to unlock and disburse EU funds, she added.

The Reform Plan has repeatedly faced resistance from four cantons governed by officials from the Party of Democratic Action, led by Bakir Izetbegovic, as well as from Milorad Dodik's Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, the ruling party in the Republika Srpska (RS) entity.

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