Commissioner Kos and Balkan leaders meet in Skopje on Growth Plan

2025-06-30 13:23:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos will hold talks in Skopje today and tomorrow with the leaders of the six Western Balkan countries to accelerate the implementation of the European Growth Plan for this region, the European Commission announced.

Leaders from Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Commissioner Kos will focus on key reforms to "unlock" the allocation of funds from the Growth Plan and bring tangible benefits to the citizens of the EU candidate countries before their accession to the bloc, the announcement said.

From the Growth Plan, all Western Balkan countries - except Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina - have received the first pre-financing funds.

The meeting in Skopje will also be an opportunity to discuss new areas of cooperation: consumer protection, tourism, and the path towards a common market that would accelerate the economic integration of the Western Balkans into the EU's common market.

During the two-day meeting, the European Commission will propose an investment package worth 87.7 million euros under the existing Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), which is expected to attract almost half a billion euros in private investment for clean energy projects across the region, the announcement said.

The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans offers benefits to the countries of the region that are preparing for EU membership and during the meeting, participants will review progress and discuss next steps.

The EC said that the aim of the Growth Plan is to stimulate the Western Balkans economy and help the countries in the region join the bloc.

The Growth Plan foresees financial support of 6 billion euros, of which 2 billion are grants and 4 billion are soft loans provided by the EU for reforms and investments in areas such as energy, transport and digital transformation in order to increase prosperity and stability in the region.

The government of North Macedonia announced that Macedonian Prime Minister Gristijan Mickoski will have a separate meeting with Commissioner Kos today and the two will then have a joint address on Tuesday.

Two panels will be held on Tuesday, the first dedicated to the Growth Plan and the second to specific mechanisms and support for the implementation of the plan./ Rel