Western Balkan countries receive Growth Plan funds, Serbia and BiH miss out in current round

This follows the third request for payment and the Commission’s positive assessment of reform steps implemented in the areas of business competitiveness and innovation in Albania and Montenegro, and education and digitalisation in North Macedonia, the EC said.

“The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, adopted in 2023, aims to bring partner countries from the region benefits of membership ahead of their accession to the EU. It seeks to integrate partners into the EU’s Single Market, advance regional economic cooperation, deepen EU-related reforms and increase pre-accession funding. This in turn accelerates the enlargement process and the growth of partners’ economies,” the press release said.

With Wednesday’s disbursement, the total amount released under the Reform and Growth Facility under their respective envelopes reaches 212.8 million euro for Albania, 89.3 million euro for Montenegro, and 142.1 million euro for North Macedonia, the EC said.

The European Commission disburses funds from the Growth Plan to each country individually, but only once they have met specific conditions set out in their “Reform Agenda,” a document detailing the exact reforms each state has committed to.

Unlike Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, which met the requirements for this tranche, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were excluded from this round because they still haven’t implemented the reform steps that were prerequisites for the release of these funds.

Serbia is currently awaiting a second tranche of 163.1 million euro and a third totaling 265 million euro.

The funds for Serbia are not permanently lost, but are being withheld until the required conditions are met, after which the Commission can approve the payment for Belgrade.

A key condition remains progress in the rule of law, specifically, the implementation of the Venice Commission’s recommendations regarding recently adopted laws governing the judiciary and the prosecution, which were originally proposed by Ugljesa Mrdic, an MP from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).