o The European Commission recently proposed a Reform and Growth Facility for Western Balkan countries
o The main objective is to accelerate socio-economic convergence with the EU
o The European Parliament and the Council asked the ECA for its opinion on the proposal
The proposed €6 billion Reform and Growth Facility for Western Balkan countries is supposed to help them fulfil the conditions for EU accession. In an opinion published today, the European Court of Auditorssuggests that this additional EU money should be better protected.
Economic convergence between the sixWestern Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia)and the EU has been considered insufficient for many years. In response, last Novemberthe European Commission proposed establishinga specific financing instrument, the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans,aspart of a new growth plan for the region. The facility is meant to boost economic growth, increase socio-economic convergence with EU countries, and accelerate alignment with EU values and laws with a view to future EU accession.
The EU auditors welcome the introduction of more stringent conditions for funding by linking payments to the fulfilment of conditions to be set in the Reform Agendas for the various countries. “There is, however, a risk that the disbursement conditions are not ambitious enough and that indicators are not sufficiently clear and measurable.It also remains difficult to ensure that reforms will be sustainable, particularly in view of the region’s weak administrative capacity”, said Laima Liucija Andrikienė, the ECA member in charge of theopinion.“In addition, the European Commission should not not only make observations, but also be able to require Western Balkan governments to review and modify their Reform Agendas accordingly.”The EU auditors also suggest developing relevant guidance for assessing the satisfactory fulfilment of the payment conditions stipulated in the Reform Agendas.
Support ofup to €6 billion (€2 billion in non-repayable support and €4 billion in loans) is envisaged under the facility for the 2024-2027 period. Considering that over €14 billion has already been made availableto pre-accession countries (including Turkey)in the current EU budget, the auditors underline that amounts to be provided through the facility represent a substantial increase (over 40%) in the funding envisaged for the Western Balkan countries until 2027. The auditors note that both the proposal for establishing the facility and the growth plan explain why theWestern Balkan economies need to converge further with the EU. The planalso highlights various benefits that the proposed measures would bring to the region. However, in the absence of an impact assessmentor an analytical document, the EU auditors were unable to assess the extent to which the intended €6 billion in support is likely to contribute to achieving the facility’s main objectives. Lastly, the auditors suggest clarifying certain provisions of the proposal relating to the European Court of Auditors’ audit rights, and access to data and documentation in order to ensure proper oversight.
Background information
The name “Kosovo” makes no assumptions aboutstatus, andis in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.
On 8 November 2023, the Commission proposed establishing a Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans as part of a new growth plan for the region. Both the European Parliament and the Council asked the ECA to give its opinion on the proposal, in the Council’s case by 9 February 2024.
Opinion No 01/2024 is available on the https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/ecadefault.aspxECA websitein English; other EU languages will follow shortly.
See, also, ECA special report on EU support for the rule of law in the Western Balkans.
Press contact
ECA press office: press@eca.europa.eu
— Vincent Bourgeais:vincent.bourgeais@eca.europa.eu – M: (+352) 691 551 502
Damijan Fišer: damijan.fiser@eca.europa.eu – M: (+352) 621 552 224