Growth Plan for the Western Balkans / EU approves 49 million euros in funds for Albania!
The European Commission (EC) allocated a total of 158.9 million euros from the Growth Plan financial assistance to Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro on Wednesday, as other Western Balkan countries, including Kosovo, lag behind.
From this tranche, the third for these countries, Albania has been allocated 49 million euros, Montenegro 44.2 million euros, and North Macedonia 65.7 million euros. This payment relates to the third six-month reporting period, which includes reforms implemented until the end of December 2025.
According to the European Commission's announcement, the payment comes after the request for allocation and the commission's positive assessment of the reform steps taken in the field of business competitiveness and innovation in Albania and Montenegro, as well as in the field of education and digitalization in North Macedonia.
"With today's release of funds, the total amount approved under the Instrument, within the respective financial packages, reaches 212.8 million euros for Albania, 89.3 million euros for Montenegro and 142.1 million euros for North Macedonia," the European Commission said in a statement.
The European Commission explained that part of these financial resources disbursed to the three countries will be transferred to the state budgets, while the rest will be dedicated to investment projects through the Western Balkans Investment Framework, in accordance with the approval procedures in force.
The funds earmarked for the Western Balkans Investment Framework, once approved by the steering board, will support infrastructure projects in the areas of sustainable transport, clean energy, digital development and human capital development.
The Growth Plan represents the European Union's most ambitious financial package for the Western Balkans. The package for the period 2024-2027 is worth 6 billion euros. The funds are allocated to the countries of the region partly in the form of grants and partly through soft loans.
The aim of the plan is to integrate partners into the EU single market, improve regional economic cooperation, deepen EU-related reforms and increase pre-accession financing. This, in turn, is expected to accelerate the enlargement process and boost the partners' economic growth.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only country that has not received any payments from the Growth Plan so far, because it has not yet adopted the reform agenda.
Kosovo, on the other hand, received the first payment last month. That is, it received 61.8 million euros in pre-financing, after the country submitted the necessary documents to the EC and ratified the agreements related to this plan.
Meanwhile, Serbia, in addition to the so-called pre-financing amounting to seven percent of the total allocated funds, has so far received one payment, half of the planned amount, as it has not fulfilled all the envisaged reforms by the set deadline.
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