Thewesternbalkans
According to the information from the office of the President of the European Commission (EC) and from different media, Ursula von der Leyen, made four-day trip (23-27 of October) to the Western Balkans, where she met with the leaders of Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and Montenegro. This was the occasion to discuss with Western Balkan partners’ progress on the EU path as well the EU Euro 6 billion Growth Plan.
The President visited first Tirana, where she met Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama. She delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the academic year of the College of Europe campus in Tirana. On Thursday, the President of the EC met with Bajram Begaj, President of Albania.
The same morning, she traveled to Skopje, where she met with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, and with the President, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
Later in the day, President von der Leyen traveled to Jablanica, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to visit the areas affected by the floods that recently hit the country. On Friday morning, she was in Sarajevo, where she met with the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers, Borjana Krišto.
Later, the President visited Belgrade. There, she met with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and the Prime Minister, Miloš Vučević.
On Saturday, President von der Leyen was in Pristina, where she met with the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, and the Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.
She concluded her trip to the region in Podgorica, where she had meetings with the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, and with the Prime Minister, Milojko Spajić.
The President of the EC had press conferences after all her visits.
In all of the Balkan capitals Von der Leyen highlighted three common initiatives:
Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. EU opens the door to specific sectors in the Single Market of the European Union to the companies of the Western Balkan partners. In turn, the EU partners in the Western Balkans are implementing important reforms to have a level playing field. And these reforms are supported additional European investments.
The second initiative was the Investment Plan for the Western Balkans.
The last point in her speeches in the Balkan capitals was another very important aspect of cooperation between EU and Balkan countries. This is fighting natural disasters,which are occurring more and more frequently all over Europe as a result of climate change. EU is extending to the Civil Protection Mechanism four times over the summer.
Albania. In her statement at the joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Rama the President of the EC von der Leyen expressed her satisfaction on the opening negotiations on the fundamentals’ cluster. She underlined that it is the result of many years of hard work but also dedication to the common goal, as well as shown from Albanian side both vision and patience.
She added that there is also a very special project in Tirana – the campus of the College of Europe coming after the idea two years ago of the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. Von der Leyen formally opened the academic year for the first group of young people, studying European law and integration in Tirana. Von der Leyen said that “they are the leaders of tomorrow. So it means the future of Europe is being shaped here, in Tirana, with this College and the young people”.
Republic of North Macedonia (RNM). In her statement at the joint press conference with Prime Minister of North Macedonia Mickoski the President of the European Commission underlined that: “I want to praise North Macedonia and pay tribute to North Macedonia and its people. Now the work must continue. I also want to pay tribute to the fact that you are 100% aligned with our Common Foreign and Security Policy.”
She added that RNM had in all of the time staunch support of Ukraine.
But the President of the European Commission was very clear about the negotiations for EU enlargement. ”We have a very clear goal in sight. It is to open the fundamentals’ cluster as soon as possible. We are almost there. We know it is about the constitutional change that your country committed to implement. Now we need joint effort, cooperation and dialogue. I hope that that all political forces in the country will come together to take this decisive step forward. I am convinced like you that we can overcome the obstacles that are still there”, Von der Leyen said.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has maintained his position that he would accept to change the constitution under the condition that the amendments enter into force upon the country’s accession to the EU.
Apparently Mickoski continues to not understand, or does not want to understand, that human rights in the EU cannot be a subject of negotiations and not an element of political trade.
Enlargement will remain a top priority for the European Commission in the next five years and the Commission has now all the necessary tools and instruments in place to make this happen.
President Von der Leyen also underlined the very fruitful cooperation on border protection. North Macedonia is the fifth country outside the European Union to host a Frontex joint operation team. For the past two years now, more than 100 European border guards have supported local authorities to carry out the checks and surveillance. For us it is so important, because one day, the borders of North Macedonia will become the external borders of the European Union. So we have to prepare now to get ready for that common future.
It is a very interesting message to Serbia and Kosovo.
In RNM Ursula Von der Leyen finished her speech with the words:
“Dear Hristijan, we are committed to deliver in our generation and young people to ensure that North Macedonia is part of our European Union.”
The message can be interpreted both as a very intelligent and diplomatic stimulation of Mickowski to carry out the necessary reforms, and as a warning – because young people want a European future and will find a way to achieve it. With or without Mickoski.
Bosnia and Herzegovina. On Thursday, Von der Leyen visited the central Bosnian village of Donja Jablanica after it was devastated by recent floods and landslides. The natural disaster claimed 27 lives, and the village was buried in debris. Bosnia has sought EU aid, and many member states sent teams to help through the EU’s civil protection mechanism.
“Europe stands with you, and we are here not only for the short run but also for the mid and long term, to help you first of all, of course to help immediately, but second to reconstruct and rebuild after the disaster,” said von der Leyen. Von der Leyen added that the EU is sending an immediate aid package of 20 million euros and will also provide support for reconstruction later on.
“We share the same vision for the future, a future where Bosnia-Herzegovina is a full-fledged member of the European Union,” said von der Leyen at a joint press conference with Bosnian Prime Minister Bojana Kristo. “So, I would say, let’s continue working on that. We’ve gone a long way already, we still have a way ahead of us but I am confident that you’ll make it.”
“The accession process is, as you know, merit-based. We do not look at a rigid data but we look at the merits, the progress that a country is making,” said von der Leyen. “The important thing is that we have an ambitious reform agenda, like the other five Western Balkan countries also have. We stand ready to help you to move forward.”
The Commission on Wednesday approved the reform agendas of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia following a green light from EU member states. That was a key step to allow payments under the growth plan upon completion of agreed reform steps. However, Bosnia’s reform agenda has still not been signed off by the Commission.
Serbia. On 25 of October in Belgrade, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the Serbian president for meeting her and other European Union leaders instead of attending a summit of the BRICS in Moscow.
However, despite Putin’s invitation, Vučić did not attend a three-day summit of the BRICS group of nations, led by Russia and China, which took place in the Russian city of Kazan earlier this week. Vučić sent a high-level delegation to the meeting, headed by deputy Prime minister Aleksandar Vulin.
“What I see is that the president of the Republic of Serbia is hosting me here today and just has hosted the prime minister of Greece and the prime minister of Poland. That speaks for itself, I think,” von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Vučić.
“And for my part, I want to say that my presence here today, in the context of my now fourth trip to the Balkan region since I took office, is a very clear sign that I believe that Serbia’s future is in the European Union,” she said.
Vučić said he knows what the EU is demanding for eventual membership — including compliance with foreign policy goals — but did not pledge further coordination.
Serbian media reported that von der Leyen refused to meet with Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vučević because of his talks Friday with a high-level Russian economic delegation, which was in Belgrade to discuss deepening ties with Serbia. Vučić will meet the Russian officials on Saturday – 26 of October.
I wonder what would have happened if President Vučić had met the Russian delegation before Von der Leyen’s visit to Belgrade. Would she refuse a meeting with him too?
Kosovo. In her statement at the joint press conference with Kosovo President Osmani-Sadriu in Pristina, 26 October 2024, von der Leyen assessed the progress made by Kosovo on its EU-related reforms. She sad that Kosovo’s efforts have already led to a major success: the visa-free travel regime. “Over the past years, Kosovo has worked hard to strengthen democracy and the rule of law with great success. And I want to assure you and the people of Kosovo, that in my second mandate, enlargement will stay at the top of the agenda” – von der Leyen added.
The President of the EC warmly welcomed the agreement found recently to unblock the Common Regional Market in the Western Balkans. This agreement lifts restrictions on exports from Serbian goods into Kosovo. The European funding for new X-ray scanners was also on the agenda of
von der Leyen. She concluded that there are concrete steps towards the European Union and normalisation. She is convinced that the EU and Kosovo will continue both, together, this success story.
Not a word in Ursula von der Leyen’s statement about the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. It is also a symptom that in the next few years the EC will focus its attention on the admission of Montenegro, progress in the negotiations with Albania and possibly the start of negotiations with North Macedonia.
Montenegro. The President of the European Commission von der Leyen concluded her visit on Saturday in Montenegro, where she assessed that the country’s goal to enter the EU by 2028 is “ambitious” but achievable.
Von der Leyen also said, during her press conference with Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, that Montenegro could still close several negotiating chapters this year, and that the tone of the European Commission’s annual report, which will be presented next week, will be positive.
During the five years as the President of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, as well as her team, have gained a lot of experience in the diplomatic aspect, and this allows them, during visits like this one to the Balkans, to be able to prepare messages to the candidate countries that they want to hear. Even with the Republic of North Macedonia, von der Leyen managed to balance things in such a way that, at the same time as taking a firm position on changing the Macedonian constitution, she left a positive impression in the host country.
A careful reading of the messages of the President of the European Commission leads to several conclusions:
- In the EC, there is an aspiration to create some balance in the process of expansion to Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans.
- In the Balkans, in the medium-term plan, things are becoming more and more clear. Enlargement negotiations with Montenegro are ending, progress is being made with Albania, and possibly negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia (if it fulfills its commitments). Serbia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina remain on hold, their interest being maintained with step-by-step activities. Apparently, the “rule” still applies in the EC – first in NATO and then in the EU.
