STRASBOURG – The European Parliament adopted today the draft legislative resolution on the establishment of the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, commonly known as the Growth Plan, which was presented last year by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. European Commission published its proposal for the regulation in November 2023. The European Parliament adopted its amended version of the proposal today, based on the report by Tonino Picula and Karlo Ressler. It will still need the support of the Council of the European Union. The Facility’s res ..read more

Recent weeks in the Western Balkans have been marked by the topics of Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe as well as the planned Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide in the United Nations General Assembly. Both developments raised tensions, especially in Serbia and Republika Srpska. Looking at the broader picture, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process, a German initiative that was set up as a platform for high-level cooperation between high official representatives of the Western Balkan Six. The Summit in October will take stock of the steps the countries have ..read more

STRASBOURG – With 406 votes in favour, 97 votes against and 94 abstentions, the European Parliament adopted the amendment to the Regulation as regards holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate who reside in Kosovo, exempting them from visa requirements. The amendment allows the EU to exempt the holders of these passports from visa requirement when crossing the external borders of the Member States for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. The decision was previously adopted by the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and H ..read more

WASHINGTON – The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved on Tuesday the Western Balkans Act proposal. The bill will then be voted on by the Senate, where it requires a simple majority (51 votes).   The proposed bill mentions that corruption remains a problem in the Western Balkans and one of the biggest obstacles to the economic and political development of the region.   “The Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act” was submitted to the Senate in May of last year by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). According to the bill proposal, it aims to “encourage increas ..read more

STRASBOURG – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted yesterday with 131 votes in favor, 29 against and 11 abstentions to recommend that Kosovo be invited to become a member of the Council of Europe. The Committee of Ministers, the organisation’s executive body of Foreign Ministers, will make the final decision on Kosovo’s membership, which will require a two-thirds majority. The next meeting of the Committee of Ministers is scheduled for 16 and 17 May, though its agenda has not been announced yet. Some media, including Radio Free Europe, have reported that, though the neces ..read more

BRUSSELS – Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union, nominated 44 new Heads of EU Delegations today, including new EU Ambassadors to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia, as well as the EU Head of Office to Kosovo. The Ambassadors will take their offices later this year. In addition to this, Miroslav Lajčák has been nominated as the new EU Ambassador to Switzerland, after his term as the Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue expires this year. Borut Pahor, former President of Slovenia, has been officially endorsed by his national governme ..read more

BRUSSELS – The Committee of the Permanent Representatives (COREPER) agreed on Monday to amend the negotiating chapter 35 with Serbia to include the obligations from the 2023 Brussels agreement and its annex from Ohrid, North Macedonia. The issue was on the agenda of COREPER on 15 April and, according to Radio Free Europe, it was adopted unanimously. The amendments to the negotiating position of the European Union need to be adopted by the Council of the European Union, for which COREPER is a preparatory body. The next General Affairs Council is scheduled for 21 May, but its agenda has n ..read more

In July 2023, NATO extended the mandate of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg until 1 October 2024, bringing his term in office to exactly 10 years. The selection of his successor is underway, but there is no formal procedure – the process takes place through diplomatic consultations and the decision is only announced when the consensus is reached. Several names have been mentioned as potential successors to Stoltenberg in recent years. Since last autumn, two leaders have openly thrown their hats in the ring – the caretaker Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte and the President of Ro ..read more

Authorities in Montenegro expect to receive IBAR – Interim Benchmark Assessment Report for Chapters 23 and 24 related to the rule of law in June. In February 2020, Montenegro accepted the new enlargement methodology, according to which no chapter can be temporarily closed until the IBAR is obtained. Obtaining IBAR indicates that the country has made progress in areas like judiciary and that is ready for the phase in the accession process. About the Montenegro’s accession process, progress in rule of law and challenges on the road to full EU membership we spoke with Maida Gorčević, Minis ..read more

BRUSSELS – The Council presidency and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on setting up a Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans. The Facility is the centrepiece of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans presented by the Commission in November 2023. The Facility will cover the period from 2024 to 2027 and is expected to provide up to €2 billion in grants and €4 billion in loans to the EU’s Western Balkan partners. It will complement the existing Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III), considerably increasing financial assistance to partne ..read more