The EP and the Council of the EU approve the growth plan for the Western Balkans!

2024-04-04 15:43:06Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
 The EP and the Council of the EU approve the growth plan for the Western
Western Balkans

The European Parliament and the presidency of the Council reached a provisional agreement on the creation of facilities for the text of the decision on the EU plan for economic growth in the Western Balkans.

The facilities under this plan will be in effect until 2027 and this plan is expected to offer up to 2 billion euros in grants and 4 billion euros in loans to EU partners in the Western Balkans.

It will complement the existing Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III), significantly increasing financial assistance to partners in the region.

The negotiations between these two EU institutions took place under great time pressure.

The European Parliament must also vote for the formal approval of this plan, before it is dissolved on the eve of new elections in June.

If the plan fails to be voted on by then, it will remain in the hands of the new composition of the European Parliament.

According to the agreement, the countries of the region to benefit from this package of financial assistance must fulfill a series of criteria related to the rule of law, respect for the principles of democracy, institutional reforms and taking the necessary steps to guarantee that the money will not be misused.

For Kosovo and Serbia, another prerequisite will be constructive engagement in the normalization of relations between them in order to fully implement the relevant obligations arising from the Agreement on the path to normalization of relations and the Annex for implementation, which were reached a year ago.


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