Marta Kos: Growth Plan for Serbia is not suspended, dialogue is the condition
European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said no decision has been taken to suspend funds from the Growth Plan for Serbia, but stressed that the Pristina dialogue remains a condition for progress.
- European Commissioner Marta Kos said the Growth Plan for Serbia has not been suspended.
- The Belgrade-Pristina dialogue remains a precondition for advancing accession talks.
- The second and third tranches of the plan, worth €1.5 billion, depend on reforms.
- Belgrade expects the plan's status to be clarified at the Tivat summit on 5 June.
Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, said no decision has been taken to suspend funds from the Growth Plan for Serbia, but that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue remains a condition for accession progress. The Commissioner held talks with Serbian officials in Brussels this week, in parallel with consultations led by Peter Sorensen.
The European Commission says Serbia has already received part of the first tranche, but the second and third tranches depend on meeting accession conditions. The funds in question total €1.5 billion, tied to reforms in the rule of law, the electoral process and the dialogue.
What depends on dialogue
By Kos’s reasoning, the accession track for Serbia and Kosovo is viewed as a parallel process in which the dialogue provides mutual momentum. For Serbia, the key conditions concern electoral reform and judicial independence, while Pristina is expected to move towards forming the Association of Serb Municipalities.
In Pristina, Kos repeatedly told Albin Kurti that Kosovo’s accession track depends on constructive engagement in the dialogue with Belgrade. Pristina initially rejected that message as interference in Kosovo’s internal affairs, but later consultations produced a partly positive reading.
Three conditions from the Growth Plan
Sources close to the Commission indicate that the Growth Plan for Serbia sets three groups of conditions for the next tranches:
- full implementation of ODIHR recommendations, not partial
- independent oversight of public broadcasters before the campaign ends
- legal upgrading of the Brussels and Ohrid agreements with Pristina
European sources say these conditions are not dramatic in scope, but must be met within the timelines agreed in the Growth Plan.
Belgrade’s response
Djordje Macut, the Prime Minister of Serbia, said the Government is ready to show progress on ODIHR recommendations, but that linking accession funds to the dialogue is not a new category. He maintains that the dialogue runs on the timeline set by the EU.
Predrag Markovic, the secretary for EU integration, said Serbia does not accept an interpretation under which progress is measured by the dialogue alone. He argued the Commission must also take into account regional projects Serbia is leading in infrastructure and energy.
The accession process remains the key framework of Serbia’s foreign policy, but it cannot be reduced to a single topic, and must encompass the economic, energy and security dimensions of cooperation with the EU, the Ministry of European Integration said in a statement.
What the Tivat summit holds
At the summit in Tivat on 5 June, attended by Aleksandar Vucic, the status of the Growth Plan for Serbia is expected to be clarified. Sources close to the organisers say technical meetings on the continuation of financial support will be agreed on the margins.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has announced a bilateral with Aleksandar Vucic on the margins, alongside a separate meeting with Albin Kurti. Part of the plan will be presented publicly afterwards.
Can Belgrade secure the continuation of Growth Plan funds without compromise in the dialogue with Pristina?
