Balkan tour / Von der Leyen arrives in Tirana today, European integration process in focus

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will visit this Wednesday (September 30) as part of her Western Balkans tour. According to the agenda published by the European Commission, during her stay in Tirana, Von der Leyen will hold meetings with the country’s top leaders, while on October 1 she will continue her visit in Pristina.

In Kosovo, the President of the European Commission will hold separate meetings with the acting President, Albulena Haxhiu, and Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Also on October 1, Von der Leyen will travel to Podgorica, where she is expected to meet Montenegro’s leaders and discuss the country’s European integration process.

The tour will conclude on October 2 in Skopje, where the President of the European Commission will hold meetings with the leaders of North Macedonia. In the focus of this tour will be the next steps of the Western Balkan countries on the road towards membership of the European Union, as well as the progress of the region’s gradual integration process.

Another important theme will be the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, through which the EU aims to support economic development and the gradual rapprochement of the region’s countries with the European market and structures.

This is Ursula von der Leyen’s sixth tour of the Western Balkans. During the visits, she is also expected to visit projects funded by the European Union in the region’s countries.