Europe is once again trying to unite the Western Balkans, but is this just another show for the public? At the Skopje summit held on July 1st, European leaders and officials from the region gathered to discuss the famous Growth Plan worth six billion euros, promising to accelerate economic development and bring Western Balkan countries closer to the EU. But let’s be real – will this plan actually bring change or is it just another empty story?
North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski did not hesitate to clearly express his stance, especially hinting at open issues with Bulgaria, casting a shadow over the European idyll. While Europe offers two billion euros in grants and four billion in loans, the question is how much of that will actually reach ordinary people and how much will end up in political games and bureaucratic labyrinths.
The summit was attended by leaders from Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and representatives of Kosovo’s provisional institutions, showing how complex the region is and how difficult it is to align the interests of all parties. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos stated that reforms are not easy but necessary for stability and prosperity. However, will political elites actually implement these reforms or continue playing power games while ordinary citizens suffer?
The Growth Plan foresees investments in energy, transport, and digital transformation, but Montenegro, for example, is sinking into an economic crisis with imports seven times higher than exports, a worrying sign that something is seriously wrong. With a deficit of nearly 1.5 billion euros in the first five months, it is clear that without concrete and urgent reforms, promises of prosperity remain just dead letters on paper.
All in all, the Skopje summit is another opportunity for Europe to show itself as great and powerful, but also to keep the Western Balkans waiting with promises that are hard to fulfill. Will this time be different? Or will we again watch money being spent on paper while real problems remain unresolved? If you have an opinion, feel free to share it – maybe together we can break this European illusion!
