TIRANA – Access to the EU budget for the Western Balkans has remained limited and highly disproportionate to its level of market integration, with allocations largely unchanged over the last three budgetary cycles. This was discussed during the panel “Challenging the ‘lack of administrative capacities’ narrative” at the Civil Society Forum (CSF).
The panelists assessed that both Western Balkan and EU actors have advocated for increased funding for the region to support economic convergence and meet EU criteria. However, this shift requires accommodating larger sums for candidate countries amid the mounting needs in the Union budget.
Furthermore, it was mentioned that Western Balkan countries need to be prepared to deliver mature projects and ensure their implementation while drawing lessons from previous enlargements to gain insights into addressing bottlenecks in terms of absorption capacities and streamlining EU funding to meet membership requirements.
Simonida Kacarska, Director of the European Policy Institute in Skopje, highlighted the need for a more comprehensive dialogue on the single market. This dialogue should focus on issues such as accessing EU funds and increasing financial support for the region’s transformation.
According to her, civil society organizations have been discussing ways to better utilize existing funds and increase their availability. She emphasized the importance of an inclusive process during the planning and implementation of pre-accession funds.
Kacarska stressed the need to involve and engage all stakeholders in the process while improving transparency in the allocation of EU funds.
In the recommendations, CSOs ask the European Commission to present a formal plan to boost pre-accession assistance in the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MMF). They recommended a review of the modalities for implementing pre-accession assistance, including facilitating decentralized management of assistance.
Tanja Miščević, the Minister of European Integration of Serbia, noted the need for more details about the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced.
Drita Abdiu Halili, State Secretary and Deputy Chief Negotiator with the EU of North Macedonia, emphasized that Western Balkan countries should increase transparency, include all relevant stakeholders, and communicate EU integration and EU funds with the wider public.
“We need more structured dialogue and earlier engagement of stakeholders in the programming process. We also need to enhance regional cooperation because we face many common problems, topics, and challenges,” she assessed.
Economist Ambre Maucorps from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies suggested that the experience of Romania, Bulgaria, and Croatia in absorbing EU funds could be highly useful for Western Balkan candidates. She emphasized that their experience shows that capacities are crucial to maximize the use of available EU funds.
Anja Bosilkova-Antovska, Head of Advocacy at the Balkan Civil Development Network, spoke about the importance of involving CSOs and their expertise in IPA programming. She noted that there isn’t enough political will in the region to involve CSOs in these processes, adding that the EU should demand greater involvement.
“Western Balkan countries may appear good on paper with legislation, but implementation is weak. In practice, there is also a deterioration in cooperation with CSOs. Even in North Macedonia, where cooperation was strong, there is an increasingly dismissive approach toward CSOs and a lack of substantive dialogue,” she said.
Damir Miljević, a member of the Managing Board at RESET, agreed that there is insufficient transparency and information in the entire process. He stressed the need to finance sustainable projects, particularly in the areas of renewable energy and energy transition in the region