BRUSSELS – The first regular disbursements from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans are expected between the second and third quarters of this year, upon the fulfillment of the necessary conditions, a spokesperson for the European Commission announced today. At the same time, he emphasized that Serbia’s pre-financing amounts to 101.8 million euros. “The Commission is now completing the procedural steps that should allow pre-financing to be executed as soon as possible in 2025,” said spokesperson Guillaume Mercier in a written response for Tanjug, when asked when Serbia and other regional partners can expect the first disbursements from this plan and how much the first disbursement for Serbia will amount to.

He added that partners, in order to initiate reforms, can request up to seven percent of the total amount provided by this instrument within the pre-financing, which all five beneficiaries with approved reform agendas have requested, except for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has not yet submitted a reform agenda. He also reminded that no disbursements have yet been made under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans is a six billion euro package, which will be distributed from 2024 to 2027 in the form of grants and loans with very favorable interest rates.

Within the Growth Plan, Serbia is expected to have a total of 1.58 billion euros available by 2027. Serbia, like other partners from the Western Balkans, had to develop a reform agenda in order to receive financial assistance from the Growth Plan. The European Commission approved reform agendas for five Western Balkan partners, including Serbia, in October last year, which paved the way for disbursements from the 6 billion euro Reform and Growth Instrument for the Western Balkans. At that time, the Commission stated that the five governments of the Western Balkans, in their ambitious reform agendas, committed to socio-economic and fundamental reforms to be undertaken to stimulate growth and EU rapprochement within the Growth Plan between 2024 and 2027. Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only one in the region that does not have an approved reform agenda. (February 19)