Zuljfaj: Kosovo lost €43.8 million from the Growth Plan

Kosovo has lost €43.8 million from the European Union’s Growth Plan because, due to the political deadlock, it failed to complete six of the 13 reform steps whose implementation deadline was June this year, Kosovo’s chief negotiator with the EU and National Coordinator for the Growth Plan Jeton Zuljfaj said, Ekonomia Online reports.

Addressing the Committee on European Integration, Zuljfaj said that, of the 13 planned steps for which the extended deadline expired in June 2026, Kosovo had managed to implement seven, while six were not completed within the prescribed timeframe.

“As you know, the Growth Plan for Kosovo amounts to €882.6 million, two-thirds of which consists of loans linked to 111 reform steps that must be completed by the end of August next year. On July 15 this year, we submitted our first payment request, covering 20 completed steps worth €153.4 million. The final amount will depend on the European Union’s assessment, and we expect the EU to announce in the first days of November how much will be approved. Of the 13 steps for which the extended deadline expired in June 2026, we implemented seven, while six were not completed. It is estimated that more than €40 million has been lost—or, more precisely, €43.8 million—because the June deadline expired,” he said.

Zuljfaj stressed that implementing most of the outstanding reforms required the adoption of draft laws by the Assembly, at a time when the institution had been dissolved.

“Nevertheless, all these reforms are expected to be implemented by the end of the year—the Law on Energy, the Law on Bankruptcy, the package of judicial laws and the Strategy for Combating Organized Crime. All reforms that were not implemented by the June deadline have been put back into procedure, first before the government and then before the Assembly, so that none of them is left out, even if the funds are not disbursed on time. This is important because the European integration process is based on reforms,” Zuljfaj said.

The chief negotiator announced that Kosovo was required to complete another 22 reform steps by December 31, worth €131.5 million.

According to him, ten legislative acts need to be adopted by the Assembly, while the government is expected to submit the remaining draft laws.

“The Draft Law on Innovation and Entrepreneurship is already before the Assembly, while the others will be submitted by the government for adoption. Delays may also arise because of the time the European Commission needs to provide its comments, since consultations with the European Union, that is, the European Commission, form part of the process of implementing the reform steps. For every step, particularly when legislation is involved, in addition to the public consultations we conduct, consultations with the European Union are also required. The European Union needs around 90 days to provide its comments, which further slows down the adoption of legislation. The laws that I believe should be submitted by the end of November are the Draft Law on Innovation, which, as I said, is already before the Assembly, the Draft Law on Public Procurement and the Draft Law on Public-Private Partnership,” Zuljfaj explained.