Northern Macedonia will be the first among the countries in the region to receive the pre -funding provided for in the EU Development Plan for the Western Balkans. The disbursement of 52.2m euros in advance is in progress, the EU delegation in Skopje said today. This pre -funding is to support the implementation of the reform program and the commitments made by Northern Macedonia with it.

Of the € 52.2 million of the Pre -finance for Northern Macedonia, € 24.5 million will be allocated to support the state budget to implement reforms provided for by the reform program, while € 28m will enter the WBIF (Western Balkans Investment Framework) and use it for the WBIF (Western Balkans). Infrastructure projects in Northern Macedonia.

The EU Development Plan for Western Balkans includes an amount of 6 billion euros (2 billion euros in grants and € 4 billion in loans on extremely favorable terms), for the period 2024-2027.

Of the EUR 6 billion of the EU Development Plan, Serbia is € 1.6 billion, in Albania EUR 992 million, in Kosovo EUR 883 million in Northern Macedonia EUR 750 million and in Montenegro EUR 384 million.

At least half of the total € 6 billion funds will be allocated for infrastructure investment and connectivity, including transport, energy and green and digital transition. The rest of the amount of EUR 6 billion will be allocated for immediate support to national budgets and is intended for the implementation of reforms.

The release of the funds provided for separately for each Western Balkan country will depend on the successful implementation of the reform programs it has agreed with the EU (with the exception of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which failed to submit the reform program in time). The reform program is a tool that aims to ensure the implementation of the necessary reforms that will allow the social transformation of the Western Balkan countries, accelerating the priority sectors with the values, policies and practices of the EU.

The European Union Development Plan for the Western Balkans aims to rapidly integrate the region into the EU, including gradual access to the Union’s single market.