The Western Balkans countries are still far from fully utilizing the European Union's €6 billion financial package. From 2024 to May 2026, only €673.6 million, or 11.2% of the Growth Plan, has been disbursed, while around €5.33 billion still remains undistributed, according to data from WeBalkans.eu, the EU's communication platform for the Western Balkans.
The data shows that, with just over a year left until the deadline, the region has received only a small portion of the available funding. All projects supported by the Growth Plan must be completed by the end of 2027 and no extension is foreseen.
The Growth Plan consists of €4 billion in soft loans and €2 billion in grants. Unlike traditional aid programmes, disbursements are directly linked to the implementation of reforms set out in each country's Reform Agenda. Countries report twice a year and the European Commission then assesses whether the targets have been met satisfactorily.
Montenegro and Albania lead the region in terms of the percentage of funds disbursed, although both countries have received less than a quarter of the funding made available.
According to official data, Montenegro has received 89.3 million euros out of the 383.5 million euros allocated, or about 23.3%. Albania has received 212.8 million euros out of the 922.1 million euros, or about 23.1% of its amount.
North Macedonia has received 142.1 million euros out of 750.4 million euros, or 18.9%. Serbia, which has the largest financial package in the region, has received only 167.5 million euros out of about 1.59 billion euros, or 10.6%.
Kosovo has received 61.8 million euros out of 882.6 million euros, equal to only 7% of the allocated amount. Bosnia and Herzegovina has not yet received any funds under this instrument.
Planned funding for Bosnia and Herzegovina has also been reduced by 10%, from 1.085 billion euros to 976.6 million euros, as the country was the last in the region to complete the Reform Agenda.
Funds disbursed do not necessarily mean they have been spent.
Even the figure of 11.2% refers to funds provided by the European Union and not necessarily to completed investments.
In the last tranche of 49 million euros for Albania, for example, 22.8 million euros were transferred to the state budget, while the rest was made available for investment projects through the Western Balkans Investment Framework, subject to the approval of the relevant procedures.
The same mechanism applies to the other countries. Of the tranche of 44.2 million euros for Montenegro, 20.6 million euros were transferred to the state budget, while of the tranche of 65.7 million euros for North Macedonia, 30.6 million euros were paid directly to the budget. The remaining funds are intended for projects in transport, energy, digitalization and human capital.
The actual level of implementation and use of funds in concrete projects may be lower than the amount reported as disbursed.
The slow pace of reforms could cost countries in the region even more of the available funding. According to WeBalkans, the Western Balkan countries, excluding Bosnia and Herzegovina, risk losing a total of more than 333 million euros if they fail to meet their reform targets by the June 2026 deadline. Bosnia and Herzegovina has been given an extension until December.
Countries that do not fulfill their commitments may lose allocated funds, which can then be redistributed to other countries in the region./ Monitor.al
