Serbia will receive its first EU pre-financing payments under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans in the coming days, no later than the end of next week, as it has fulfilled all the necessary conditions. This was announced on the official Instagram account of the Ministry for European Integration.
As part of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, pre-financing represents seven percent of the total funds allocated to each beneficiary in the region. The Ministry’s statement confirmed that Serbia met the final formal requirement for approval when the National Assembly ratified the Loan Agreement between the EU and Serbia under the Instrument for Reform and Growth for the Western Balkans on 13 March.
In an interview with the EUpravo zato portal, European Commission spokesperson for enlargement, Guillaume Mercier, discussed these funds and the payment schedule. He stated that the first regular disbursements are expected between the second and third quarters of 2025, once the necessary conditions are met.
Under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, Serbia is entitled to a total of €1.58 billion (€1,586,355,029), with €455,264,099.23 provided as grants (non-repayable funds), while the remaining amount will be in the form of loans. Western Balkan countries can request pre-financing of up to seven percent of their total allocated amount under the plan to initiate reforms. Each beneficiary country can access this funding from its available initial allocation.
