TIRANA, October 24 – President of the European Commission , Ursula von der Leyen will visit Albania and Kosovo on October 27 in the frame of a tour of all the Western Balkan countries, said the chief representative of the Commission, Erik Mamer on Monday.
Ursula Von der Leyen will visit North Macedonia on October 27, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia on October 28, and her tour will end with the visit to Montenegro on October 29.
The European Union has reiterated that it sees ties with the countries of the Western Balkans as particularly important and has reiterated its willingness to strengthen those ties.
At the same time, the EU has expressed its readiness to include the countries of this region in some of its policies, including plans for securing new sources of electricity, gas and oil supply at a time when the EU is taking measures to reduce influence from Russia.
These, as well as other topics, are expected to be discussed in the meetings that the leaders of the countries of the Western Balkans will have with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen will also discuss with her interlocutors regional cooperation, European reforms, the findings of recent progress reports and common challenges, such as managing migration and dealing with rising energy and food prices. Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine and its consequences both for the Balkan region and the whole of Europe will also be one of the topics expected to be discussed.
In the meantime, the heads of the European Union will be meeting with their Western Balkan counterparts on December 6 in Tirana, the capital of Albania, European Council President Charles Michel announced late on October 23.
Citing an email sent to EU diplomats in charge of organizing the event, the Brussels-based website Politico pointed out that Tirana will be the first city in the region to ever host an EU-Western Balkans summit – a move Politico interpreted as another sign of the Union’s increased engagement in the Western Balkans.
In addition German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced that the Western Balkans Summit will be held in Berlin on November 3 this year to give a new impetus to the Berlin Process. /Argumentum.al
