Respect for democratic mechanisms, including free and fair elections, as well as respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights, will be prerequisites for receiving funds from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, predicts the common position of the European Union (EU) member states.
The common position, adopted in Brussels at the level of the ambassadors of the EU member states, for Serbia and Kosovo also defines as a prerequisite “constructive engagement in the normalization of relations with the aim of fully implementing all obligations” arising from the Agreement on the Road to Normalization and its Implementation Annex from Ohrid, as and all previous agreements reached in the Brussels dialogue.
In addition, a prerequisite for Serbia and Kosovo is to start negotiations on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Normalization of Relations, says the document published by the Council of the EU.
The text also emphasizes the importance of harmonizing the countries of the Western Balkans with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, Beta agency reports.
“The reform plans, which will be submitted by the countries of the Western Balkans, should contain an explanation of how they will contribute to progressive and continuous alignment with the EU’s common foreign and defense policy,” the text states.
‘Mandate for negotiations’
A prerequisite for receiving funds is that the countries of the Western Balkans “respect democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system and free and fair elections, the rule of law, including an independent and functional judiciary, as well as fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, freedom of the media and the guarantee of compliance with all obligations in connection with human rights, including the rights of members of minorities”, it is stated.
The European Commission, together with the European External Action Service (EEAS) where necessary, monitors the fulfillment of the stated preconditions before the funds are sent to the beneficiaries and during the support period, taking into account the enlargement policy framework. The Commission informs the Council of the EU about the fulfillment of the prerequisites before sending the funds, the text says.
When the Commission determines that a prerequisite has not been met or is no longer met, it submits to the Council a proposal for an executive decision suspending payments. When, at the user’s request or on its own initiative, the Commission concludes that this prerequisite has been met again, it submits to the Council a proposal for an executive decision to lift the suspension. In the cases referred to in this paragraph, the Council, as a rule, decides within one month from the receipt of the Commission’s proposal.
The joint position represents a “mandate for negotiations” with the European Parliament, whose approval is required for the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which was adopted by the European Commission in November, to become operational.
Growth plan for the Western Balkans
On November 8th, 2023, the European Commission adopted and presented the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, together with the annual Enlargement Package.
The growth plan for the Western Balkans envisages financial support of six billion euros, of which two billion are non-refundable grants, and four billion are soft loans provided by the EU.
The goal of the Plan is to stimulate the economic growth of the region and accelerate the socioeconomic rapprochement of the Western Balkans and the EU, which includes a faster pace of reforms on the way to the Union.
The plan covers the period from 2024 to 2027 and foresees that each government of the Western Balkans six will receive a certain amount of money every six months, depending on the reforms it implemented during that period, Al Jazeera Balkans reports.
E.Dz.
