Kosovo has lost €43.8 million from the European Union’s Growth Plan after failing to meet six of the 13 reform steps that had a deadline of June 2026. The announcement was made by Kosovo’s chief negotiator with the EU and national coordinator for the Growth Plan, Jeton Zulfaj, during a report to the Committee on European Integration on Monday, 2 November.
According to Zulfaj, of the 13 steps foreseen in the additional period up to June 2026, Kosovo implemented seven, while the other six remained unfulfilled.
“Out of 13 steps in the additional period, up to June 2026, we implemented seven and six did not. More than 40 million euros is estimated, or more precisely 43.8 million euros, which have been lost at the June deadline,” he said.
Reforms that remained unfulfilled
Zulfaj explained that most of the unfulfilled reforms required the approval of draft laws in the Assembly of Kosovo, during a period when this institution was dispersed.
Among the reforms that were not completed within the deadline, he mentioned the Law on Energy, the Law on Insolvency, a legal package for justice and the Strategy against Organised Crime. According to the material presented to the committee, the list of six reforms that remained unimplemented also includes the laws on electricity together with sub-legal acts, the Law on State Aid and the State Aid Control System, the Law on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the framework legislation on insolvency and the Law on Late Payments, as well as a package of six vital laws, including the laws on the KPK, KGJK, the Academy of Justice, disciplinary liability, recruitment and integrity vetting.
The chief negotiator stressed that these reforms will continue to be processed for approval, despite the loss of financial resources linked to the June deadline.
22 more steps by 31 December
Zulfaj said the total value of the Growth Plan for Kosovo is 882.6 million euros, of which two-thirds are loans linked to 111 reform steps, which must be fulfilled by the end of August 2027.
He announced that on 15 July of this year Kosovo submitted its first payment request, reporting the fulfilment of 20 reform steps, valued at 153.4 million euros. According to him, the final amount Kosovo will receive will be determined after the assessment by the European Union, the results of which are expected in the first days of November.
Kosovo still has 22 more reform steps, valued at 131.5 million euros, which must be fulfilled by 31 December of this year.
“Now we have 22 steps ahead of us worth 131.5 million euros, which expire on 31 December. So, there are 59 days left, 10 acts must pass through this Assembly, the draft law on innovation and entrepreneurship is already in the Assembly, while the Government will bring the others for approval,” said Zulfaj.
He added that delays are also caused by consultation with the European Commission, which, in addition to public consultations, needs about 90 days to return comments on the laws.
According to Zulfaj, two of the steps with the 31 December deadline are the direct responsibility of the Assembly: the establishment of the Committee for State Aid and the measures or sanctions related to the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly. Due to the limited time, he called for institutional mobilisation and accelerated procedures for the adoption of the reforms.
MP’s questions and answers on candidate status
During the discussion, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo MP Time Kadrijaj asked Zulfaj whether the government had secured the votes for the adoption of the Civil Code, citing provisions on marriage, family community and the rights of persons with different sexual orientations. She also sought clarification on the possibility of opening EU accession negotiations, the impact of political developments in Serbia, as well as the suspension of the strategic dialogue by the United States of America, the Brussels Agreement, the Ohrid Annex and the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.
Zulfaj replied that until 31 December there are 22 steps and that the Civil Code is part of them, while its adoption is the responsibility of the Assembly.
“The Civil Code, there are 22 steps, not 18, two of them are the Assembly’s, it is part of these steps. It is the Assembly’s responsibility to pass it, I hope there is social consensus regarding the values represented in the Civil Code,” he said.
On the accession negotiations, the chief negotiator reiterated that Kosovo has no unfulfilled criteria and described the decision as a matter of political will and unity within the EU. He did not comment on the elections in Serbia, the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, the Brussels Agreement or the strategic dialogue with the US, saying these issues do not fall within his responsibilities, and suggested that the committee invite the relevant chief negotiator for the dialogue with Serbia.
According to the data presented, Kosovo has so far drawn 62 million euros as pre-financing, or 7 percent of the amount, while the rest is conditioned on the agenda steps. The EU Western Balkans package for the period 2024-2027 is worth 6 billion euros, of which Kosovo is entitled to about 882 million euros: 253 million as grants and 629 million euros in the form of loans. The Assembly of Kosovo ratified the international agreement with the European Union for the Growth Plan on 13 February 2026.