Skopje, 24 March 2025 (MIA) - North Macedonia has received the first funds amounting to €52.4 million from the pre-financing under the EU's Reform and Growth Facility, of which €24.4 million is for budget support and has already been transferred to the Ministry of Finance.

“The country has received the funds from the pre-financing under the EU’s Reform and Growth Facility, amounting to €52.4 million, which represents seven percent of the total financial support for our country, totalling €750 million. This payment is based on the pre-financing request that I, as the national coordinator for the reform agenda, signed and submitted to the European Commission in November last year. As a result, North Macedonia is the first country in the region to receive these funds after completing the legal procedures, which means that both the loan agreement and the facility agreement have entered into force,” Minister of European Affairs Orhan Murtezani stated at a press conference today.

The second important news concerning the Reform Agenda, as Minister Murtezani noted, is that on March 14, the country submitted its first request to the European Commission for the release of €17.1 million in addition funds for the implementation of reform measures, with a final deadline of December 2024, which was later extended by the European Commission to February 2025. The reforms included: the adoption of the Law on Public Internal Financial Control, the passing of bylaws under the Budget Law, the operationalization of structures for a just transition, the adoption of the 2025 Plan, changes to the Companies Law regarding criteria for selecting members of supervisory and management boards, and in the judiciary, the filling of vacant positions in the courts and the prosecution.

Out of the €17.1 million, €7.96 million is allocated for direct budget support, while the remaining €9.11 million will be used for investment projects through the joint fund of the Western Balkans Investment Framework.

“The funds will available once the Commission completes the assessment of the reform implementation, which has a deadline of 90 working days,” Murtezani said.

In response to a journalist's question, Murtezani said that of the total €52.4 million, €24.4 million has already been transferred to the Ministry of Finance's account at the National Bank, €15 million is a grant and has been transferred to the Western Balkans Investment Framework, while the remaining €13 million is a loan, which is in the payment procedure and has also been transferred to the Western Balkans Investment Framework. 

Photo: screenshot