FOCUS – Von der Leyen launches Balkan tour, visiting Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia

BRUSSELS, September 25 /ATSH-ANSA/ – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will next week tour the Western Balkans, visiting Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

According to European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill, von der Leyen will first chair the meeting of the College of Commissioners on Wednesday, before starting the regional tour.

The first stop will be Tirana, where the European Commission president will meet the President of the Republic, Bajram Begaj, and Prime Minister Edi Rama.

On Thursday, von der Leyen will continue her visit to Pristina, where she is expected to meet acting president Albulena Haxhiu and Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

She will then travel to Podgorica, where she will hold meetings with President Jakov Milatović and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.

The European Commission president will conclude her regional tour in Skopje, with a visit to North Macedonia.

The visits to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia have been postponed, while the European Commission has announced that the decision is linked to upcoming elections in these countries.

Regarding Serbia, other reports have also raised the possibility that the decision to postpone the visit may have been influenced by other political developments and reactions to commemorative activities honoring former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladić.

Von der Leyen’s Western Balkans tour is expected to receive special attention in the context of the European Union’s relations with the region and the European integration process.