The six Western Balkan partners risk a permanent loss of more than €700 million if the Growth Agenda reforms are not completed by the end of the grace period in 2026, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said today.

She made the announcement on X after the meeting of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) during the structured dialogue this afternoon, noting that she had said that enlargement is once again one of the European Union’s top strategic policies.

“I explained that we are concerned about recent developments in Serbia, I informed the MEPs about the recent reforms in Ukraine and the positive prospects for the disbursement of the Support Loan to Ukraine, and about the imminent start of talks on drafting the accession treaty with Montenegro. I also told them that the six Western Balkan partners risk a permanent loss of more than €700 million if the Growth Agenda reforms are not completed by the end of the grace period in 2026,” Kos said.