EU Growth Plan/ Kosovo receives 61.8 million euros

2026-04-16 14:21:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo has benefited from 61.8 million euros in pre-financing from the European Union's Growth Plan, after the country submitted the necessary documents to the European Commission and ratified the agreements related to this plan.

"The Economic Growth Plan offers concrete opportunities to accelerate EU-related reforms and to bring Kosovo's economy closer to the EU single market. Through this support, the EU aims to help Kosovo strengthen the rule of law, advance the green and digital transitions, and foster sustainable economic growth," said the acting EU Commissioner in Kosovo, Eva Palatova.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that the country is committed to implementing the Reform Agenda within the deadlines in order to utilize the opportunities offered by the growth plan.

"It is true that some time has been lost, but we will do our best to accelerate reforms and fulfill our commitments. This is a difficult but achievable task," Kurti said.

On February 13, the new legislature of the Assembly of Kosovo ratified international agreements with the European Union. These agreements amount to 882 million euros. Kosovo then had to officially notify the European bloc of the ratification of these agreements.

Over the past year, when Kosovo faced a political crisis and a lack of new institutions, concerns were raised about the risk of losing these funds, as the agreements had not been ratified.

The amount of 61.8 million euros of pre-financing, according to the EU, is 7 percent of the total of 882.6 million euros in grants and loans with favorable terms for Kosovo under the Economic Growth Plan.

"These funds will support the implementation of the Kosovo Reform Agenda and key infrastructure projects supported by the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), bringing Kosovo even closer to the EU," the EU said in a statement.

Out of 61.8 million euros, 28.74 million euros in loans have been transferred to the Kosovo budget today, while the remaining amount, 33.04 million euros (17.73 million euros in grants and 15.31 million euros in loans), will be channeled through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF).

The EU said that Kosovo has pledged to implement 111 reform steps, covering areas such as the rule of law, governance, economic development, green and digital transitions, and human capital.

"Each step of the reforms is linked to a specific financial allocation. Payments under the Economic Growth Plan will be made progressively as Kosovo implements the agreed reforms. If certain steps of the reforms are not completed within the specified deadlines, the relevant funds will not be disbursed," the announcement said.

The European bloc said that the first deadline for 13 reform steps, worth 90.8 million euros, is June 30 of this year. Meanwhile, the end of this year will be the deadline for another 27 steps, worth 165.9 million euros.

The EU package for the Western Balkans for the period 2024-2027 is worth 6 billion euros. If we analyze the budget allocations, Kosovo is entitled to about 882 million euros - 253 million in grants and 629 million euros in the form of loans, which means that it benefits from the most funds in the region per capita.

In addition to receiving the pre-financing amount, the EC has also lifted all punitive measures it had imposed on Kosovo almost three years ago due to tensions in the Serb-majority north.

The measures had significant financial costs for Kosovo, as various projects under the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA II and III), as well as the WBIF, were suspended or postponed./ Rel