The European Union Office in Kosovo has marked the International Day of Non-Governmental Organizations, on which occasion it announced that within the framework of the Growth Plan that includes the Western Balkan countries, Kosovo can benefit from the 880 million euros that are available.
EU Ambassador Aivo Orav underlined that the US administration's surprising decision to cut funding worldwide has also affected the NGO sector in Kosovo, writes A2 CNN.
“The EU is Kosovo’s largest trading partner, but also the largest investor in financial assistance. The EU will continue to support Kosovo in its reform process and on its path towards the EU. For this reason, we have presented the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, where Kosovo is given the opportunity to benefit from 880 million euros. This is a huge figure. The aim is to stimulate growth and it should also be said that as part of the plan we also have consultations with external actors, including civil society organizations. I am aware that the surprising decision of the US administration to suspend much-needed aid to Kosovo and other countries around the world has had an extremely large impact on the programs offered by the NGO sector operating in Kosovo. However, this decision has highlighted for us a problem of a long-term nature, which for us is the dependence of NGOs on donors. I very much hope that this challenge will be addressed in the upcoming Government Strategy for Cooperation with Civil Society 2025-2029. "From the EU's point of view, I want to reiterate that your work remains very important for us, for Kosovo's European future and most importantly for Kosovo's democracy," said Aivo Orav, EU Ambassador to Kosovo. (A2 Televizion)
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