At today’s session, the Government fulfilled the last condition for the operational start of using available EU funds from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, specifically the initiation of planned tranche payments.
By adopting the Proposal for the Law on the Ratification of the Agreement on Accession to the Instrument between the EU and Montenegro regarding special arrangements for the implementation of support under the Reform and Growth Instrument, the Government has completed all procedural steps to begin the disbursement of funds from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
In December 2024, the Government had already accepted the Agreement, and by adopting the Proposal for the Law, all procedural steps for its further adoption by Parliament have been fulfilled.
The Growth Plan is a substantial financial instrument that, in addition to bringing Montenegro’s economic standard closer to the European average, aims to fulfill comprehensive reforms that will transform the economic and social environment in Montenegro.
We expect the Parliament to consider this proposal as soon as possible to enable the payment of pre-financing and the first tranche from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. Since this is a framework agreement for Montenegro’s participation in the EU Growth Plan, the adoption of this law by Parliament and its entry into force, along with everything the Government has done so far regarding the preparation and adoption of the Reform Agenda, are prerequisites for signing an additional loan agreement and the disbursement of the allocated funds.
Until all the aforementioned procedural steps are completed, the European Commission will not be able to start the first payments into the state budget. Therefore, the key responsibility lies with the Parliament to bring this process to a close, as otherwise, Montenegro will not be able to utilize the planned funds for projects and reform initiatives.