Around a year after the first reform-linked payments began, the uneven rollout has exposed wide gaps in political commitment across the region
PRISTINA – More than a year into the EU’s €6 billion growth plan for the Western Balkans, only Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia have secured more than one reform-linked payment.
The uneven progress shows how political instability is holding some countries back, but also raises doubts over whether governments are making lasting changes or merely meeting deadlines to secure funding.
The European Commission launched the plan in 2023 to speed up EU accession. It links funding to specific economic, institutional and rule-of-law reforms, while gradually giving the six countries greater access to parts of the EU single market.
“The growth plan is the Western Balkans’ accelerator into the European family,” Marta Kos, the enlargement commissioner, said during a visit to Skopje last year.
