The European Commission (EC) has decided to partially release financial assistance for Serbia under the first disbursement of the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, the Commission confirmed.
According to EC spokesperson Guillaume Mercier, Serbia will receive €61.1 million, instead of the €112 million originally planned for the first tranche—just over half of the expected amount.
The decision followed an assessment of reform progress, after which the Commission concluded that Serbia has fulfilled three out of seven required reform benchmarks for the initial payment.
As a result, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo will not receive funds from this package at this stage.
Where the Funds Will Go
Of the €61.1 million approved:
- Around €26 million will be provided as direct budget support, and
- The remaining funds will be allocated to infrastructure projects through the Western Balkans Investment Framework.
Reforms Completed and Pending
The European Commission stated that Serbia has met reform obligations related to:
- Visa regime alignment,
- Deployment of 5G networks, and
- Integration of the electricity market.
The four remaining reform steps have entered a grace period and may be completed by December 2026. The rest of the funds will only be released once all reform commitments are fulfilled.
Serbia Lags Behind Regional Peers
Serbia is currently the last among eligible countries deemed to have met minimum reform conditions for initial funding. Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia received their first Growth Plan payments in October last year and are considered by the Commission to be the most advanced reform performers in the region.
About the EU Growth Plan
The EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans is described as the most ambitious financial package the Union has ever offered to the region, with a total value of €6 billion:
- €4 billion in concessional loans, and
- €2 billion in grants.
Funds are allocated based on population size and GDP. Under preliminary allocations:
- Serbia is set to receive €1.586 billion,
- Albania €922.1 million,
- Bosnia and Herzegovina €1.085 billion,
- Kosovo €882.6 million,
- North Macedonia €750.4 million, and
- Montenegro €383.5 million.
All projects financed under the Growth Plan must be completed by the end of 2027, with no possibility of deadline extensions, the Commission stressed.
