Skopje, 1 July 2025 (MIA) -- EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos welcomed Bosnia and Herzegovina Council of Ministers' adoption of the EU reform agenda, which was the first condition for joining the five other Western Balkan countries who have access to EU funds, she told a press conference Tuesday in Skopje held after the Western Balkans Leaders Meeting on the Growth Plan.

In response to a reporter's question on the requirements Bosnia and Herzegovina needed to meet to make progress in implementing reforms, Kos said she had some good news to share and added that they had adopted the reform agenda just this Friday.

She said she expected official Sarajevo to announce this soon.

The EU commissioner also said the European Commission needed to confirm the reform agenda and sign the necessary loan facility agreements with Bosnia and Herzegovina before "we can start work on this."

"I can't tell you how happy I am that after one year of working on this, Bosnia and Herzegovina has joined the other five countries," she said.

"Congratulations! North Macedonia has been the first to present the reform agenda," she added.

Kos said all six countries from the Western Balkans now had a reform agenda so they could use funds from the EU's Growth Plan. "Timing is very important," she noted, adding that the EU Growth Plan's six billion would be available through 2027.

"If we don't use this, if the countries are not able to absorb this, we will have to give -- I will have to give -- this money back to the general budget of the European Union," she said. 

The enlargement commissioner said she would rather deliver the money to the candidate countries to implement their reforms.

"I want every last euro to be spent in the candidate countries," Kos said. mr/