The member states are ready to give the green light to the economic growth plan for the Western Balkans of six billion euros, but they demand that progress in the rule of law and compliance with EU foreign policy be conditions for using the funds from this fund, RTS learned from diplomatic sources in Brussels.
In the case of Serbia, an additional condition for using the funds from the plan proposed by the European Commission in November is the implementation of the normalization agreement with Pristina.
"Member countries in principle support the proposed concept and amount of the plan, but insist on firm conditions." Countries in the region that are not progressing or regressing in the rule of law cannot count on additional funds. The same applies to compliance with the EU's foreign policy," said diplomatic sources.
The member states have already started an internal discussion on approving the plan for the Western Balkans, and the final decision could be made in February, if an agreement is reached by then on the rebalancing of the EU budget, which was delayed due to Hungary's veto on financial aid to Ukraine.
Belgium, as EU chairman, wants the debate on the plan for the Balkans and discussions with the European Parliament to be completed before the European elections in June, so that the implementation of the plan does not have to wait for the formation of a new European administration, according to sources in the European Council.
The plan for the growth of the Western Balkans is worth six billion euros, of which two billion are grants.
These are additional, new funds compared to the pre-accession IPA funds that Serbia and other candidate countries already have available.
The plan of the European Commission includes the gradual integration of the economies of the Western Balkans into the seven sectors of the EU common market already during the accession phase.
By applying the plan, Serbia could roughly double the amount of grants, which is currently at the level of around 200 million euros per year, but diplomatic sources state that the set conditions, which are already slowing down Serbia's membership negotiations, could also affect the use of the funds. from the future growth fund.
