Skopje, 16 November 2023 (MIA) - Ministers from North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo, along with senior officials from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), will hold Friday an inaugural meeting on the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the Reform and Growth Facility, which the EC released at the start of November.

DG NEAR is set to present the plan, followed by an open discussion with regional ministers over the possibilities to use the new Growth Plan to the maximum, towards strengthening the coherence of policies and alignment of EU assistance with domestic reforms and resources at disposal, the Ministry of Finance said in a press release.

DG NEAR Director-General Gert Jan Koopman will present the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the Reform and Growth Facility before ministers of finance and economy, and the chief negotiators of North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania.

The new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans is aimed at enhancing economic integration with the European Union's single market, boosting economic integration within the Western Balkans through the Common Regional Market based on EU rules and standards, accelerating fundamental reforms, and increasing financial assistance to support the reforms through a Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans for the period 2024-2027.

According to the European Commission, as part of the Growth Plan, every Western Balkan partner will be invited to prepare a Reform Agenda based on existing recommendations including from the annual Enlargement Package and the countries' Economic Reform Programmes (ERP).

Photo: MIA archive