The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, following the working lunch hosted by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, for six leaders of the Western Balkans, stated that Serbia will receive its first funds from the Growth Plan amounting to approximately €112 million within a month.
Vučić claimed that more important than the EU funds is the implementation of reforms in Serbia.
“By the end of October or the beginning of November, we can expect the first payment of around €112 million. Of this, €32 million is a grant, and €80 million is a favorable loan. But this is not fundamentally important for us; what matters are the reforms and what we can do for our companies and economy,” Vučić told Serbian media, as reported by RKS.
He also mentioned that approximately €1.58 billion is allocated for Serbia under the entire Growth Plan, of which €380 million is a grant and €1.2 billion is “extremely favorable” loans.
Vučić added that the meeting also discussed the European path, stating that “Serbia could open a new chapter in the EU membership negotiations in December,” but he emphasized that “this seems to depend more on political conditions and individual countries rather than on Brussels.”
He noted that von der Leyen will soon visit the Western Balkans and may also come to Belgrade.
