EU excludes Kosovo, Montenegro, Republika Srpska entity from grants

Serbia, Albania, Northern Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Bosnian-Croat Federation, benefited from these investments, respectively.

The Western Balkans' investment framework is a joint initiative of the EU, financial institutions and donors, aimed at developing socio-economic and European perspective of Western Balkan countries.

The overall value of the framework is 2.1 billion euros.

Kosovo has not benefited from the European bloc's grants, as the EU in late June imposed punitive measures on Pristina, due to the failure to meet Brussels' requirements for the extension of the situation in northern Kosovo. Among the punitive measures is the suspension of all EU financial programmes.

In February of this year, the Government of Kosovo had said it had applied for two grants of investment and four grants of technical assistance in the Investor Framework, but had not specified more about them.

Kosovo has benefited from this mechanism since 2009. By 2021, this framework has supported 30 projects in Kosovo worth 1.8 billion euros.

The projects include building roads, rehabilitation of railways, central heating systems and improving the sewage system.

For the 1920s-2030s, under this mechanization, other projects, such as: Pristina's Peace Highway, the Belgrade road Pristina, the solar warming for Pristina, the plant for the treatment of sewage for Pristina and others.

Montenegro with inappropriate “projects”

Neither has Montenegro benefited the bloc's grants, as projects submitted by Podgorica, by the European Commission, are seen as “before and inappropriate”.

“Montenegro has presented investment projects in the field of energy, environment and transport that have been assessed by the Western Balkans Investment Frame as premature for financing or inadequate for financing”, EC spokeswoman Ana Pisonero confirmed through a written response to the media.

She added that she hopes Podgorica will continue with the preparation and maturity of these investment proposals for their serial presentation in new calls within the Western Balkans Investment Framework.

Pisonero also confirmed that Montenegro benefits from three technical assistance projects, worth 3.5m euros, under this call for preparing investments in the transport and energy sectors.

On June 30th, the EC had announced the adoption of 14 major investment projects in the field of transport, energy, environment, human capital and support for the private sector in the Western Balkans.

Serbian entity profits no grant

Grants worth 303m euros have also been approved for infrastructure projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But, all grants will focus on the Bosnian-Croat Federation and not on the entity of Republika Srpska.

Grants, part of the $2.1 billion EU investment package for the Western Balkans, will help several projects, including the construction of two sections of the Pan-European Highway that connect Budapest with the Croatian port of Ploce.

Other projects in Bosnia, which will be supported by these grants, concern improving the water supply in Sarajevo and the rehabilitation of a deposit pump at a hydropower plant in the south of the state.

The European Union had warned Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik to stop the Secencing rhetoric and movements that undermine the Bosnian state.

The EU delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina has not answered Radio Europe's free questions about why the projects in Republika Srpska have not been supported.