Kosovo Lost €43.8 Million From the EU Growth Plan, While the Report Says North Macedonia Is Actively Working on It
A statement from Pristina shows what a missed deadline in the Growth Plan means. What is confirmed, what comes only from the brief and what we do not know.
Kosovo has lost €43.8 million from the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, according to a statement from November 2 carried by the Serbian portal Kosovo Online. The announcement answers a practical question for the region: what happens when a country does not meet its steps by the deadline. The topic is less covered in Macedonian media, yet it connects directly to North Macedonia.
What the Growth Plan is. According to the EU, the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans provides up to six billion euros for 2024–2027, of which two billion are grants and four billion loans. The money is paid in instalments after a country meets the agreed reform steps. If a step is not met by the deadline, the corresponding part of the funds can be lost.
What is confirmed for Kosovo. The headline of the news item and the statement it carries confirm the figure of €43.8 million in lost funds. We could not open the full text, so we have not confirmed the details of the reasons from a primary source.
What comes from the brief. The brief we use states that €131.5 million remain for 22 steps until December 31. We did not confirm that figure, so we carry it as unverified. If correct, the sum of the two figures is €175.3 million (our calculation), but we do not know whether that is the total amount Kosovo had available.
Political context. The same portal also carried political reactions, among them a claim by a Kosovo politician that Kosovo lost another €613.4 million because it was under EU punitive measures. That is a statement from a political dispute, not a verified figure, and so it is not used as a basis for conclusions.
Where North Macedonia stands. The European Commission’s 2026 report says that North Macedonia is actively working on the Growth Plan. That does not mean all steps are met, but it shows the country is in the process. How much money North Macedonia has drawn so far is not the subject of this text and we do not claim it.
The lesson. The deadlines in the Growth Plan are financial. When a step is missed, the price is a specific amount, not only a political assessment. For the Macedonian administration the practical advice that follows is to track every step and submit documentation on time. Whether that is done will show in the data on funds paid out, which should be public.
What to follow. Whether Kosovo meets the remaining steps by the end of the year, how Brussels reacts, and whether North Macedonia publishes how much money has been drawn so far and how many steps remain.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · November 5, 2026
