Kosovo’s chief negotiator with the European Union, Jeton Zulfaj, has warned that Kosovo could lose nearly €90 million in funding from the EU Growth Plan if the country goes to new elections.
Zulfaj said €131.4 million linked to 22 reform steps under the Growth Plan have a deadline of Dec. 31, 2026. According to him, the absence of a functioning Assembly and a fully empowered government could jeopardize the implementation of the required reforms and access to the funds.
“If we go to elections again, we will once again lose funds from the Growth Plan. €131.4 million from 22 Growth Plan steps have a final deadline of Dec. 31 this year. Without a functioning Assembly and a government with full capacity, we could lose nearly €90 million,” Zulfaj wrote.
He also referred to draft laws that, according to him, stalled in June because of the parliamentary deadlock and could result in the loss of more than €40 million.
Zulfaj said those draft laws have since been reapproved by the government, submitted to the Assembly and passed their first reading on Monday.
“If the president is not elected today, these draft laws will not proceed to a second reading and will have to be processed again, first by the government and then by the Assembly,” he said.
Among the legislation he cited is the law on preventing money laundering and terrorist financing, which he said would help Kosovo become part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA).
Zulfaj said the legislation had been approved by the Assembly at the end of 2024 but was referred to the Constitutional Court by the PDK.
“Every year outside SEPA costs our citizens and businesses around €55 million,” he wrote.
Zulfaj also criticized the opposition over the institutional deadlock, saying the political impasse was affecting the implementation of reforms and access to EU funding.
“The blockade is a choice. The opposition has chosen to block, and the cost is being passed on to citizens,” he said.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti has previously said Kosovo must focus on implementing the 22 reforms due by the end of December, for which €131.4 million in EU Growth Plan funding is allocated. Kurti said eight of those reforms require the approval of draft laws by the Assembly.
According to Kallxo, Kosovo has already lost more than €40 million linked to reforms that were not implemented, while a final decision from Brussels is pending. Kosovo has received €62 million in pre-financing, equivalent to 7% of its overall allocation, while the remaining funds are conditional on meeting reform milestones.
The EU’s Western Balkans Growth Plan for 2024–2027 is worth €6 billion, with Kosovo allocated around €882 million, including approximately €253 million in grants and €629 million in loans.
Kosovo’s Assembly ratified the international agreement with the EU on the Growth Plan on Feb. 13, 2026, after the plan had remained pending for more than a year amid political deadlock and elections.
