Von der Leyen skips Serbia and Bosnia on her Balkan tour

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will skip Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina during her tour of the Balkans, the European Commission announced on Friday.

“During the tour, President von der Leyen will visit Tirana, Pristina, Podgorica and Skopje. There she will meet with presidents and prime ministers, and will visit projects funded by the European Union,” said European Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta.

The visit to the four countries of the region is scheduled to take place from September 30 to October 2.

Radio Free Europe had earlier reported on the possibility that von der Leyen, if she did not visit Serbia, would also skip Bosnia and Herzegovina.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has for years had a warm relationship with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, whom she has often addressed as “dear Aleksandar.” This approach has been criticized by experts dealing with the Western Balkans.

It had been speculated that von der Leyen would not visit Serbia during the Balkan tour due to political and social tensions in the country, while the burial of Ratko Mladić, convicted of war crimes and genocide, had sparked sharp reactions in the European Union. Several Members of the European Parliament had also called on the head of the European Commission not to travel to Belgrade.

Ahead of parliamentary and general elections in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Commission president plans to visit these two countries later, Podesta said.

This will be von der Leyen’s sixth tour of the region, a visit that has already become a tradition ahead of the publication of the annual package of progress reports for EU membership candidate countries.

“As the president said at the June summit, our Union will not be complete without the Western Balkans. During talks with partners, she will discuss the necessary steps on these countries’ path toward the European Union, as well as the gradual integration process, supported by the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans,” spokesperson Podesta said.