North Macedonia champion of EU’s growth plan

North Macedonia is our champion when it comes to the European Commission’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and it is working really well. It was the first country to have received the pre-financing, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said in an interview with the European Newsroom agency (ENR), CE Report quotes MIA.

Of the 6 billion euros foreseen in the Growth Plan, 715 million euro are earmarked for the country, including 52 million in pre-financing with one part allocated directly to the budget and the other to the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans.

“In this regard, you shouldn’t worry about North Macedonia, the country is on its good way,” Kos stressed.

Unfortunately, she said, the same can’t be said for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which cannot even join the growth plan, because it hasn’t submitted its reform agenda to the European Commission and hasn’t even named a chief negotiator.

“Things that are so normal or easy in some countries, in Bosnia, due to the current institutional crisis are much harder,” the European commissioner said.

Kos reiterated that of the amount consisted in the Growth Plan, one third are grants, two thirds are loans, which are intended for reform implementation defined under the reform agendas of each country. A chunk of the funds is planned for reforms in rule of law, development of businesses or business environment, digitization, transport, energy and developing of skills.

According to her, the next stage is interesting when future payments will depend on reports on the implementation of reforms.

“That's why it's so important for Bosnia to agree on the reform agenda, because the next payments will be dependable on what they deliver. If they will not deliver what was agreed for a certain period, then they will get some extension possibility to do the reforms. But in the worst case - we hope that this will not happen - we could not do the disbursement,” Commissioner Kos stressed.

She mentioned that the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans Summit, which should have been held in March in Skopje, was postponed due to the deadly tragedy in Kochani. It is now expected to take place in June, when Kos is expected to pay a visit to Skopje.