Kosovo has lost 43.8m euros from the European Union’s Growth Plan after failing to meet six of the 13 steps of reforms that had until June of this year as the cause of the political blockade, Kosovo’s chief negotiator with the EU and national co-ordinator for the Growth Plan, Jeton Zulfaj, has announced.
Reporting to the Commission for European Integration, Zulfaj has said that from the previous 13 steps in the extra period until June 2026, Kosovo has managed to implement seven, while another six have not been met in the set term.
It has made it known that the overall value of the Kosovo Growth Plan is 882.6m euros, where two-thirds are loans related to 111 reform steps, which must be met by the end of August next year.
As you know, the Kosovo Growth Plan totals 882.6m euros, where 2/3 are loans linked to 111 reform steps, by the end of August of next year. On 15 July of this year, we submitted the first payment requirement, with 20 steps implemented, worth 153.4m euros. The final amount will be kept by the European Union’s assessment, with which we are believing that in these early days of November, they will let you know how real that assessment will be. From 13 steps to the extra period, until June 2026, we implemented seven and six not. It is estimated over 40m euros, or more precisely 43.8m euros, which have been lost in the June deadline, he said.
Zulfaj has stressed that most unfulfilled reforms have called for the adoption of bills in the Assembly, in a period when this institution was distributed.
However, he has said these reforms have returned to the process and are intended to be adopted this year, including energy and bankruptcy laws, the legal package for justice and strategy against organised crime.
Most of them have sought the adoption of laws in the Assembly, at a time when the Parliament, as you know, was distributed. However, all these reforms are on the way to implement this year, the law on energy, bankruptcy, justice package and the strategy against organised crime — that is, all reforms — because the overall process in the EU is a reform process, and all reforms that have not achieved the June deadline have returned to the Assembly, first to the government, then to the Assembly — so that no reform is lost. Even if the tools fail to be fulfilled in time, he said.
The chief negotiator has warned that by 31 December Kosovo must meet another 22 steps, worth 131.5m euros.
According to him, ten acts should be approved in the Assembly, while part of the bills are expected to be prosecuted by the Government.
Now we have 22 steps in front of us worth 131.5m euros, which expires on December 31st. So, there are 59 days left, 10 acts must be passed in this country, the innovation and entrepreneurial bill is already in the Assembly, and others the Government will bring for approval. Depending on the delays of the European Commission, in sending comments, because part of the process of steps is consultation with the European Union, with the European Commission, where each step, especially in the steps of laws, requires that in addition to the public consultations we have as part of the process, they should consult the European Union, and the European Union requires about 90 days to return these comments and then cause further delays that delay the laws. The laws I believe must come by the end of November, the innovation bill, as I said, is here; the public procurement bill, for public-private partnership, Zulfaj said.
The signal where the truth speaks before the news!
Source Layer: Signal