The financial support foreseen for Kosovo under the European Growth Plan remains stalled due to the absence of functioning domestic institutions that were expected to be formed following the February 9 elections.
Of the over €880 million Kosovo is set to receive in total through this plan, the pre-financing installment — amounting to 7% of the total — cannot be released without the constitution of the new parliament and the formation of a new government.
This is because agreements with the European Union, which are of an international nature, must be ratified by a two-thirds majority in the Assembly.
So far, only Albania and North Macedonia have received their pre-financing payments.
“All Western Balkan countries can expect pre-financing, which represents 7% of the total allocated amount. To receive this, countries must first approve their reform agendas and then ratify the loan and funding agreements. Albania and North Macedonia have met these conditions and received their funds in mid-March,” said Guillaume Mercier, spokesperson for the European Commission.
From the total of over €880 million that Kosovo is expected to benefit from, about €61 million is designated as pre-financing.
However, for this to happen, the agreements must be presented by the new government of Kosovo and subsequently ratified by the national assembly.
According to experts on European affairs, even if institutions are formed soon, the ratification procedures would still require at least two to three months to complete.
