The European Commission is moving forward with financial support in the Western Balkans region, as the countries continue to push for reforms in preparation for possible entry into the European Union.
During a meeting in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, and the leaders of the six prospective EU members from the Western Balkans region agreed on several projects moving forward. The six countries, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, are all at various stages of their EU membership application.
The meeting served as a reminder of the EU-backed Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, with which the EU is supporting these countries in their development and integration into the EU single market. The plan “is an essential element to speed up and deepen integration with the EU. In just 20 months, we have moved from ideas to results,” according to Kos.
One of the main areas of funding will be in clean energy, where the EU plans to mobilise €487.3 million in the following years in eight new projects in Albania, Montenegro and Serbia. The investment will focus on overhead electricity lines, upgrades to hydropower plants, and the integration of solar energy into the energy grid.
Montenegro, Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia have already received some pre-financing payments under the Reform & Growth Facility. The four countries also joined the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), which will help the integration into the eurozone system, making transactions easier. According to the Commission, Kosovo needs to speed up the process in order to also receive pre-financing payments. At the same time, Bosnia and Herzegovina have just drafted a reform agenda compatible with the facility’s target.
At the meeting, the commissioner and the six leaders agreed to meet on a regular basis and scheduled a future meeting for the autumn of this year.
