The document on the Growth Plan that Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted to Brussels does not meet the criteria to be acceptable to the European Commission, Radio Free Europe (RSE) has learned from well-informed sources in Brussels.
According to these sources, Bosnia and Herzegovina sent an incomplete document that does not reflect all the recommendations of the European Commission.
Bosnia and Herzegovina missed the deadline to send the reform agenda in a timely manner, which is necessary for obtaining financial resources from the Growth Plan for the region.
On Tuesday, September 17, Bosnia and Herzegovina sent a document to the European Commission, which does not represent a reform agenda.
This document, according to the chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto, proves the compliance of the reforms needed to receive aid from the European Growth Plan.
In order to receive financial resources and the Growth Plan, each country from the Western Balkans was obliged to submit a reform agenda.
These are reforms related, among other things, to the rule of law, democracy, institutional reforms, and ascertaining corruption and interests, as well as taking the necessary steps to ensure that the funds are not misused.
It was precisely the lack of a reform agenda from Bosnia and Herzegovina that was the reason why the meeting of the Committee on Pre-Accession Instruments was postponed, where the evaluations of the reform agenda of all the countries of the Western Balkans were to be analyzed.
The first meeting was planned for September 17, but due to late reactions from Sarajevo, according to RSE, the meeting was postponed to October.
Without the adoption of the reform agenda, the first payments cannot begin for any country in the region.
Namely, it is necessary that the EU member states as well as the Committee for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) give a positive opinion on the reform agendas so that the European Commission can then move on to the adoption of these agendas and the conclusion of agreements on benefits and loans with each of the beneficiary countries. Only after these steps can I track the first payments.
European Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero said on September 18 that she could not give concrete information on when the first payments would begin, although this institution would like it to happen as soon as possible.
The growth plan for the Western Balkans is the most ambitious financial package of the European Union worth six billion euros, which aims to double the economic growth in these countries in the next ten years.
