EU Enlargement Directorate reports 80% reform progress in Albania and Montenegro

Gert Jan Koopman, director of the European Commission’s Directorate‑General for Enlargement, told the European Parliament that the implementation of reforms under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans is on track in several countries. He said that around 80% of the required steps have been completed or are underway in Albania and Montenegro, 50% in North Macedonia and about 35% in Serbia. Koopman highlighted that “when we met in January we noted slow progress, but now about 90% of all steps are either fully achieved or in progress,” with 57% already met by June.

He added that Kosovo remains clearly behind because of internal political blockades that have delayed key legislation, although post‑election stability is expected to boost its reform pace. Bosnia‑and‑Herzegovina faces the biggest challenges, prompting the Commission to cut its allocated funds and propose transferring them to the EU Innovation Council for the Western Balkans. Payments to Serbia are still being assessed against rule‑of‑law conditions.

Overall, the EU monitors the varying implementation levels as part of the accession process for the region.