Thewesternbalkans
According or different media and the press office of the European Commission, on October 15 Von der Leyen visited North Macedonia and Kosovo as a part of the three-day tour of Western Balkan countries.
Kosovo. The acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, received in Pristina the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on her fifth visit since 2021. According to Kurti, the visit is evidence of the good relations between Kosovo and the European Union. During the meeting, Prime Minister Kurti expressed gratitude for von der Leyen’s continued support in Kosovo’s European integration process. He emphasized the importance of the European Commission delivering the membership questionnaire as soon as possible and granting candidate country status to Kosovo.
As part of the “Single Market Highway” initiative, the Prime Minister handed President von der Leyen three official letters, through which Kosovo expresses its interest in initiating a strategic dialogue with the EU in three key areas: agriculture, information and communication technology (ICT), and the defence industry.
Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani assured that they remain firmly committed to a European future and also advocated for the lifting of Brussels’ restrictive measures against Pristina.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Kosovo to reduce tensions in the country and strengthen its institutions in Pristina today.
North Macedonia. During her stay in Skopje, von der Leyen had meetings with the Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, the Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska – Davkova and the Speaker of the Assembly, Afrim Gashi.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Timço Mucunski, received the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at Skopje Airport.
The Minister emphasized that from the meetings he expects confirmation of support for the European integration process. “Membership in the European Union remains a strategic priority of Macedonia’s foreign policy,” said Mucunski.
During the meeting with Prime Minister Mickoski, the two leaders discussed the European perspective of the country, progress in reforms, economic cooperation, energy security, and digital transformation. The Macedonian Prime Minister underlined his government’s determination to accelerate European integration through tangible results and by implementing European standards.
The Prime Minister’s office issued a statement following his meeting with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
“The visit of the President of the European Commission affirms the open dialogue and the mutual readiness to deepen our partnership, in the interest of stability, economic development and the European future of the country. Prime Minister Mickoski emphasized the determination of the Government to speed up the European integration of the country, through concrete results and the meeting of European standards. Full EU membership remains our strategic goal, and we hope that in this process we will see the EU also deliver”, the statement reads.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed in Skopje that North Macedonia’s path to the European Union depends on the inclusion of Bulgarians in the country’s Constitution.
“We continue to fully support North Macedonia on its path to the EU. You can count on us. The next and only step before the start of negotiations is clear. You must make the agreed constitutional change. The ball is in your court. The EU is ready,” von der Leyen wrote on the social platform X after her meeting with Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
The European Commission President also added that in the meantime, the EU will work on closer ties with North Macedonia. She listed several measures in this regard, including the disbursement of 16 million euros for reforms implemented so far.
Comments: As expected, von der Leyen was quite positive in her dialogue with the Kosovo leaders, indicating that the European Commission is clearly looking for different ways to deepen its partnership with this country.
With the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, the President of the EC was significantly more direct. Despite the usual courteous remarks and promises typical of such meetings, von der Leyen clearly stated to the North Macedonian side that the insistence on constitutional change remains. So, any options to change this are non-cense, regardless of the rhetorical gymnastics exercised by Prime Minister Mickoski.
