Respecting democratic mechanisms, including free and fair elections, and honoring rule of law and fundamental rights, will be the preconditions for beneficiaries to receive support under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, reads the joint position of European Union (EU) member countries adopted on Wednesday.

The joint position, adopted in Brussels at the level of ambassadors of EU member states, says that a precondition for Kosovo and Serbia is also for both “to engage constructively in the normalization of their relations with a view to fully implementing all their respective obligations” stemming from the Agreement on the Path to Normalization and its Implementation Annex from Ohrid, as well as all past agreements reached within the Brussels Dialogue, Beta reported.

In addition, Serbia and Kosovo are also required to engage in negotiations on the Comprehensive Agreement on normalization of relations, reads the document published by the EU Council.

The document also emphasizes the importance of the Western Balkans countries’ alignment with the Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.

The reform agendas that are to be submitted by the Western Balkans countries, should include an explanation of how the measures are expected to contribute to a progressive and continuous alignment with the Union Common Foreign and Security Policy, reads the text.

The support should be made available under the preconditions that the Western Balkans countries, as beneficiaries, “respect and uphold effective democratic mechanisms and institutions, including a multi-party parliamentary system and free and fair elections, and the rule of law, including an independent and functioning judiciary as well as fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, media freedom and to guarantee respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities,” it said.

The Commission, together with the European External Action Service (EEAS) where relevant, shall monitor the fulfillment of the preconditions before funds are released to beneficiaries and throughout the period of the support, taking duly into account the enlargement policy framework. The Commission shall inform the Council of the fulfillment of the preconditions before funds are released, reads the text, Beta reported.

Where the Commission finds that a precondition is not fulfilled or no longer fulfilled, it shall submit to the Council a proposal for an implementing decision suspending the payments. Where, at the request of beneficiaries or on its own initiative, the Commission considers that a precondition is met again, it shall submit to the Council a proposal for an implementing decision lifting the suspension. In these cases, the Council shall act, as a rule, within one month of receiving the Commission’s proposal. The joint position is a “mandate for negotiations” with the European Parliament, whose approval is required so the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, adopted by the European Commission in November, could become operational.

On 8 November 2023 the European Commission adopted and presented a Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, along with its annual Enlargement Package.

The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans envisages financial support of six billion euros, of which two billion are in the form of non-repayable support, and four billion are concessional financial-assistance loans provided by the Union.
The objective of the Plan is to boost economic growth, the socio-economic convergence of the Western Balkans, including accelerated reforms on the path to the EU.

The plan covers the period from 2024 to 2027 and foresees that each government of the Western Balkans six will receive a certain amount of money every six months, depending on the reforms it implemented during that period.