Regulation (EU) 2024/1449 on establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans

Ce que fait l'acte

to establish the reform and growth facility for the Western Balkans. PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: it is in the common interest of the Union and its Western Balkans partners to advance the efforts to reform political, legal and economic systems of the latter with a view to their future Union membership. The prospect of Union membership has a powerful transformative effect, embedding positive democratic, political, economic and societal change. The Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Budgets jointly adopted the report presented by Tonino PICULA (S&D, HR) and Karlo RESSLER (EPP, HR) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans. The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows: The Facility should complement Regulation (EU) 2021/1529 to provide assistance to the Western Balkans for the delivery of inclusive and sustainable socio-economic reforms aligned with Union values and investments to implement their respective Reform Agendas. The Facility should also contribute to fighting poverty and tackling unemployment and lead to quality job creation. (a) accelerate regional economic integration and promote balanced regional development through strengthening social and territorial cohesion and progressive integration with the Union single market; (b) accelerate the socio-economic convergence of Beneficiaries’ economies, including decarbonisation of their economies, and of societies with the Union; (c) in line with the general objectives of IPA III, accelerate alignment with Union values, laws, rules, standards, policies and practices through the adoption and implementation of reforms with a view to future Union membership Preconditions for the support under the Facility should be that the Beneficiaries: (i) improve, uphold and respect effective democratic mechanisms; (ii) safeguard free and pluralistic media and fight against disinformation, foreign information manipulation and interference; (iii) uphold the rule of law and guarantee protection and respect for all human rights including the rights of persons belonging to all minorities and communities. Another precondition should be alignment with the Union’s common foreign and security policy. The resources to be made available through the Facility should not exceed EUR 6 billion for the period from 2024 to 2027 . The financial envelope for the implementation of the Facility shall be EUR 2 billion for the period from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2027, of which: (a) 98.5% in the form of non-repayable financial support to the Beneficiaries for the implementation of the Reform Agendas; (b) 1.5% for expenditure under the technical assistance heading. The Commission should conclude a Framework Agreement with each Beneficiary for the…