The deputy minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade of the Republic of North Macedonia, Zoran Dimitrovski, said that his country “welcomed” the Franco-German initiative aimed at promoting the gradual integration of candidate countries into the EU’s single market, while emphasising that “this process must remain complementary to, and not replace, full accession to the European Union” (see EUROPE 13881/17).
At a conference organised on Tuesday 30 June in Luxembourg by the European Court of Auditors regarding EU support for the Western Balkan countries, he highlighted the importance of the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, which links reforms to financial support and “serves as a bridge between pre-accession and full membership” by promoting “gradual integration into the single market”. He also called on the Union to “start thinking about the post-2027 period”, when this facility will expire.
“Candidate countries should not have to wait until accession to begin reaping the benefits of European integration”, added the Albanian minister for Europe and foreign affairs, Ferit Hoxha, arguing for faster economic convergence between the European Union and the Western Balkans.
That same day, the European Commission proposed a draft financial package of nearly €3.2 billion for Montenegro, under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), in anticipation of the country’s possible accession to the Union in 2028 (see EUROPE 13899/3).
Review of the Western Balkans ‘Reform and Growth Facility’. To date, the European Union has disbursed €673.6 million in grants and loans out of the €6 billion allocated under the facility. Albania received €212.8 million, Montenegro €89.2 million, North Macedonia €142.1 million and Serbia €167.5 million (see EUROPE 13871/3), while Kosovo received only pre-financing of €61.8 million. Bosnia and Herzegovina, for its part, has still not ratified the agreements relating to the facility and the loan and has therefore not received any payments to date.
With the exception of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the five other Western Balkan countries had, by the deadline, “fully completed” 57% of the agreed reform steps, while 33% were still being implemented, said Gert Jan Koopman, director-general of the European Commission’s DG ENEST.
Christophe Galand, head of unit at DG ENEST, emphasised that Serbia’s commitment was “more selective”, with a completion rate of “around 33%”, while Kosovo risks “losing a significant portion of the funding”, having “lost” a year and a half due to the absence of a government.
30 June was the deadline for implementing the reforms. The Commission will now have two weeks to assess the results and present its report, a European source told Agence Europe. (Original version in French by Ana Pisonero Hernández)