“The EU is not complete without the Western Balkans”: Von der Leyen arrives in Tirana on September 30, kicking off regional tour

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will tour the Western Balkans this week, visiting Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

According to the agenda published by the European Commission, Von der Leyen will begin the visit on Wednesday, September 30, in Tirana. During her stay in Albania, she is expected to hold meetings with the country’s top leaders, while on October 1 the European Commission president will travel to Pristina.

During the Kosovo visit, Von der Leyen will hold separate meetings with acting President Albulena Haxhiu and Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

On the same day, she will also be in Podgorica, where she is expected to meet Montenegro’s leaders and discuss the European integration process.

The tour will conclude on October 2 in Skopje, where Von der Leyen will hold meetings with North Macedonia’s leaders.

According to the European Commission, at the center of the discussions during this trip will be the next steps on the Western Balkan countries’ road toward European Union membership and the progress of the region’s gradual integration.

Another important element of the visit will be the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, through which the European Union aims to support economic development and the gradual approximation of the region’s countries to the EU market and structures. The visit marks the sixth time Ursula von der Leyen has visited the Western Balkans.

During the visits, President Von der Leyen is also expected to see EU-funded projects up close.

“The EU is not complete without the Western Balkans,” Von der Leyen had declared at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in June, underlining the importance the European Commission attaches to the enlargement process.

Von der Leyen’s tour comes at a moment when the European Union is seeking to accelerate the process of bringing the Western Balkans closer to the EU, while the region’s countries continue efforts on reforms and advancing the European integration process.