EU growth plan potential 'game changer' for Western Balkans, official says

Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti attends a meeting of the Western Balkans leaders in Skopje, North Macedonia, January 22, 2024. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

SKOPJE (Reuters) - The European Union's 6-billion euro growth plan for the Western Balkans is a potential "game changer" that could double the size of regional economies in the next decade, an EU official said on Monday.

Leaders of the six Western Balkan countries -- Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia -- met on Monday in Skopje to discuss reforms needed to access the EU growth plan presented last October.