As part of the new plan for the growth of the Western Balkans of a total of six billion euros over the next four years, Bosnia and Herzegovina should receive 969 million euros, Serbia will be able to count on one billion and 630 million euros, Albania 924, North Macedonia 807, Kosovo 888 and Montenegro 388 million euros, announced the Radio-television of Serbia (RTS), quoting sources from Brussels.
This amount was determined on the basis of an estimate by the European Commission, which takes into account the number of inhabitants and the level of GDP.
On April 24, the European Parliament approved the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which should provide the region with two billion grants and four billion soft loans in the period from 2024 to 2027.
After the European Parliament gave the green light to the growth plan, it is expected that the decision will be formally confirmed by the EU Council of Ministers on May 7. In that case, the first payments could be expected before the summer break, according to Brussels.
The countries of the region need to meet a number of criteria in order to take advantage of the financial assistance package, which are related to the rule of law, respect for the principles of democracy, institutional reforms and taking the necessary steps to ensure that the funds are not misused.
In addition to the criteria related to reforms and the rule of law, there are also criteria of a political nature.
The importance of harmonizing the countries of the Western Balkans with the common foreign and security policy of the EU is also emphasized.
