Shahini: Political delays threaten Kosovo’s benefits from the Growth Plan

President of the Alliance for Kosovo Businesses Agim Shahini criticized Kosovo’s institutions for, as he says, delays in fulfilling obligations related to the European Union’s Growth Plan.

In an interview with Ekonomia Online, Shahini said that Kosovo is facing a loss of time and financial benefits from this plan, which amounts to more than 882 million euros.

He noted that so far Kosovo has managed to receive around 61 million euros, which represents only about seven percent of the promised amount.

“The Kosovo Business Alliance has continuously criticized the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo for the loss of time and insufficient benefits from the Growth Plan, within which more than 882 million euros are envisaged. It is now known that we will have around 61 million euros at our disposal, which is only seven percent of the total amount. Kosovo has committed to fulfilling more than 111 criteria or steps that need to be taken. Kosovo must also implement them in phases, and by June it was supposed to meet at least around 13 additional criteria, which is a very short deadline, and I believe and hope that Kosovo will manage to do so. If not, the political crisis will spill over into an economic crisis, and the culprits are politicians. It is also expected that by the end of the year Kosovo’s institutions will fulfill another 27 criteria in order to be an equal beneficiary alongside other countries in the region, since Albania and Serbia have so far received approximately 180 million euros, while Kosovo has only just begun, due to political delays, ambiguities, and deteriorated relations with the international community,” Shahini said.

He added that if Kosovo continues to miss opportunities, responsibility should be sought in Pristina, not in Brussels.

“No matter how small the step taken by the Government of Kosovo and the agreements ratified in the Assembly of Kosovo, their delay has further prolonged this situation. We have been under sanctions for two years and have received nothing. It seems that others are doing well, but we are not taking sufficient care of ourselves. Responsibility lies with our voters, our institutions, and those responsible within those institutions. Therefore, if we continue to lose, we must look for responsibility in Pristina, not in Brussels,” he said.

Following the ratification of agreements in the Assembly of Kosovo related to the European Union’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the submission of the required documentation by the Government, the European Commission on Thursday began transferring the first pre-financing funds of 61.8 million euros to Kosovo through the Reform and Growth Facility.

As stated by the European Union Office in Kosovo, this pre-financing represents seven percent of the total 882.6 million euros in grants and concessional loans available to Kosovo under the Growth Plan until the end of 2027.

These funds, as noted, will be used for the implementation of Kosovo’s Reform Agenda and key infrastructure projects through the Western Balkans Investment Framework, thereby bringing Kosovo closer to the European Union.

Of the 61.8 million euros, 28.74 million euros in loans have already been transferred to Kosovo’s budget, while the remaining 33.04 million euros (17.73 million in grants and 15.31 million in loans) will be channeled through the WBIF, the EU said.