On Tuesday 9 April, members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs approved the interinstitutional agreement reached by the European Parliament and the EU Council on 4 April (see EUROPE 13384/4) on the €6 billion growth plan for the Western Balkan countries (70 votes in favour, 6 against, 1 abstention).
“This is not just financial support, but also a political message”, said Tonino Picula (S&D, Croatian), the co-rapporteur for the dossier, adding that he hoped the package would be used not only to boost the economies of the Balkan countries, but also to “help strengthen democratic standards” in the region.
The Member States’ permanent representatives to the EU discussed the issue on Monday 8 April. The provisional political agreement was also approved on this occasion.
As a reminder, the growth plan provides for a budget of €6 billion for the period 2024-2027, of which €2 billion is in the form of non-repayable grants and €4 billion in the form of loans.
According to the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, the first payments could be made before the end of the summer. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)