Western Balkan states risk losing EU funds over missed reforms

Western Balkan governments risk losing EU Growth Plan funds if they fail to prove by July 15 that they met their latest reform targets.

The European Commission will assess reports covering the fourth reform period, which ended on June 30. Funds are paid only after reforms are fully implemented, Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier told Radio Free Europe.

Kosovo could lose more than 40 million euros because it failed to complete reforms on time, its chief EU negotiator Jeton Zulfaj said.

The 6-billion-euro plan runs from 2024 to 2027 and links payments for Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia to reform progress.