EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has said that Kosovo will not face any obstacles to benefiting from EU financial means, which are dedicated to countries in the enlargement process, in the coming period as well. “When it comes to Kosovo, it will remain part of these financial instruments, as it has been until now. As you know, Kosovo is now also part of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans,” she said.
The European Union’s (EU) financial resources for the enlargement process from 2028 will be much larger than they are now, to adapt to the accelerated progress of candidate countries, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said on Thursday.
She emphasized this while speaking about the section dedicated to enlargement from the multiannual financial framework, which was proposed by the European Commission (EC) on Wednesday.
Of all the countries involved in the enlargement process, only Kosovo does not formally have the status of a candidate country, which is why it has been left out of several initiatives in some EU institutions.
But, according to Commissioner Kos, Kosovo will have no obstacles to benefiting from EU financial resources, which are dedicated to countries in the enlargement process, even in the coming period.
“When it comes to Kosovo, it will remain part of these financial instruments, as it has been until now. As you know, Kosovo is now also part of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans,” Kos said.
She reiterated what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the day before, that enlargement has been identified as a priority in the EU’s seven-year budget proposal, which covers the period from 2028 to 2034.
“Enlargement does not only make the European Union larger in size and population. But enlargement is about unifying Europe. By increasing support for all those who meet the membership conditions, we are on the right path to uniting our Europe,” Kos said on Thursday.
She also reiterated that the use of EU funds by enlargement countries will be conditional on meeting conditions and those countries will be judged on their individual merits.
Kos said that at the moment, Montenegro and Albania are advancing very quickly, and he expects other Western Balkan countries to follow this path.
The European Commission has proposed a budget framework of 2 trillion euros, of which 200 billion will be under the “Global Europe” programme. This includes enlargement, neighbourhood, humanitarian aid and EU development aid worldwide. Of this amount, 42.6 billion euros are expected to be dedicated to enlargement, a significant increase compared to the current financial framework, which has been allocated 31 billion euros. Also, 100 billion euros for special assistance to Ukraine are not part of this package.
The European Commission’s proposal will be followed by negotiations with the European Parliament (EP) and EU member states to approve the proposal. The deadline for reaching an agreement is 2027, when the current financial framework ends.