Kosovo, Montenegro, and the entity of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been left out of grants that the European Union has adopted for projects within the Western Balkans Investment Framework.
Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina will benefit from the investments.
The Western Balkans Investment Framework is a common initiative of the EU, financial institutions, and donors, aimed at social-economic development and the European prospects of Western Balkans countries. The total amount of the framework is €2.1 billion.
Kosovo did not profit from the grants after the EU introduced penalty measures against Kosovo in late June, as Prishtina failed to meet Brussels’ conditions for de-escalation in the north of Kosovo. Among the penalty measures is the suspension of all EU financial programs.