The European Commission is offering over €138 million in assistance through the 2019 and 2020 Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) programmes for Kosovo, and the respective financing agreements have been signed by both parties.

Out of this amount, €50 million has been re-programmed to tackle the social and economic fallout of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis in the short and medium term. Support will cover democracy and governance, the rule of law and fundamental rights, the environment, climate action and energy, competitiveness, innovation, agriculture and rural development, education, employment and social policies.

The EU is now waiting for the ratification of these agreements by Kosovo’s institutions in order to launch the implementation.

The Head of the EU Office in Kosovo / EU Special Representative, Tomáš Szunyog, welcomed the signature of the IPA 2019 part II and 2020 Annual Action Programmes for Kosovo.

“The EU has worked hard to re-programme a large part of our assistance to meet the needs of the people in Kosovo who have been affected by COVID-19. Our support will strengthen social protection, support small businesses and help stabilise public finances. I call on the Kosovo institutions to now ratify these programmes as soon as possible,” said Szunyog.

Through these programmes, the European Commission will support start-ups and micro businesses, job creation and the employment of young people and women, the quality of higher education, social protection and the basic needs of families in poverty or without income, and cultural heritage and cultural tourism. It will also support Kosovo in preventing land and air degradation – and their negative impact on human health – by reducing solid waste pollution and emissions from the production of energy.