Skopje, 13 October 2024 (MIA) – The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans is a solid and robust project and the first tranche can be disbursed to the country before the year’s end, I’m confident about that, EU Ambassador to North Macedonia Michalis Rokas has said.

“I believe that the reform agenda, the Growth Plan, they give a unique opportunity to the Western Balkan countries not only to gradually integrate to the EU and the internal market, but it shows the commitment to enlargement and it shows also that in order to accelerate not only the accession path but achieving prosperity because a lot of the EU prosperity is based on the internal market the success of the EU rules,” Rokas says in an interview with MIA.

He voices hopes that the Western Balkan countries will work quickly to achieving their own regional market. 

“This would facilitate things a great deal.”

“The new mechanism allows a lot of flexibility to the government. You know the difference between IPA mechanisms and now the Growth Plan are different, IPA mechanisms are per sector whereat these can put throughout according to the priorities of the government. But the gradual integration to the EU internal market I think is unprecedented and it is a testament to the frankness and priority that EU attaches to enlargement at times, geopolitically, geostrategically, we face immense challenges. We strongly believe that the answer is to have one European family which of course includes the rest of Balkans,” Rokas says. 

The Reform Agendas of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia were approved Friday under the new €6 billion Reform & Growth Facility, better known as the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.

“This paves the way for pre-financing to begin during the Hungarian Presidency. Supporting the Western Balkans' integration remains a key priority of #HU24EU [Hungarian Presidency],” Hungary’s EU Presidency said in a post on X (former Twitter).

Under the Western Balkans Growth Plan, North Macedonia should be allocated €750 million, divided into several tranches. The first tranche of 7%, €52.5 million, should be allocated by the end of the year at the latest. 

According to the formula of the regulation for the reform and growth facility, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, North Macedonia should get €750.4 million in the period from 2024 until 2027, which should be used in relation to the implementation of reforms.

The Council of the EU in early May adopted the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans in amount of €6 billion, designed to support the countries in the region in their EU accession path. 

MIA file photo