Von der Leyen in Skopje on October 2: “The EU is not complete without the Western Balkans

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit four Western Balkan countries this week: Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

The trip begins on Wednesday, September 30, in Tirana, according to the agenda published by the European Commission. Von der Leyen is expected to meet the country’s top leaders there before continuing to Pristina on October 1.

In Kosovo, the European Commission president will hold separate meetings with acting President Albulena Haxhiu and Prime Minister Albin Kurti. On the same day, she will also stop in Podgorica for talks with Montenegro’s leaders on the European integration process.

Skopje is the final stop on the tour, on October 2. During her stay in North Macedonia, Von der Leyen will meet the country’s leaders. The discussions will address the next steps toward the region’s countries joining the European Union and progress in their gradual integration, the European Commission said.

The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans will also be a focus. Through this initiative, the EU aims to support the region’s economies and bring them closer to the Union’s market and institutions. This is Ursula von der Leyen’s sixth tour of the Western Balkans.

During her visits, Von der Leyen is also expected to see projects funded by the European Union. “The EU is not complete without the Western Balkans,” she said at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in June, underscoring the importance the European Commission attaches to enlargement.

The visit comes as the European Union seeks to accelerate the Western Balkans’ rapprochement with the Union. Meanwhile, countries in the region continue their reforms and efforts to advance European integration.