Von der Leyen in Skopje tomorrow: one-on-one meeting with Mickoski at 12:10 and a working lunch

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will arrive tomorrow (Friday, October 2) at 12:00 in Skopje for an official visit to the Republic of North Macedonia, as Nezavisen reports. According to the published agenda, a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski is scheduled at 12:10, to be followed by a working lunch and a joint press conference.

As 24 Vesti and Makfax write, the Skopje visit closes her sixth consecutive annual tour of the Western Balkans. On September 30 she stopped in Tirana, where she met President Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama, then in Pristina with President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and in Podgorica with President Jakov Milatović and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are not on the agenda this time due to upcoming parliamentary elections, according to the European Commission.

According to the European Commission’s announcement, the tour focuses on the region’s next steps toward EU membership and the gradual integration process through the €6 billion Growth Plan. In Tirana, von der Leyen stated that the EU will review its budget to prepare for admitting new members, stressing that candidate countries’ progress remains tied to implementing reforms.

A key expected topic of the Skopje talks, according to reports, is the dispute with Bulgaria. Foreign Minister Timço Mucunski has demanded a long-term, sustainable solution ensuring predictability of the European path, speaking of “red lines” the Government is not ready to negotiate.

Because of the visit, as Fokus reports, SVR Skopje will apply a special traffic regime tomorrow in the wider central area of the capital.