10/10/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/10/2025 06:16
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will travel to the Western Balkans on Sunday. This will be the occasion to reiterate the EU's support for the region's EU accession path and gradual access to the Single Market, and to discuss the EU's €6 billion Growth Plan for the Western Balkans for 2024-2027.
On Monday morning, President von der Leyen will meet the President of Albania, Bajram Begaj, as well as Edi Rama, the Prime Minister of the country, in Tirana. On Monday afternoon, she will deliver a speech of the Regional Investment Conference for the Western Balkans, before travelling to Tivat, Montenegro.
In Tivat, President von der Leyen will hold meetings with the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, and with the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić. On Tuesday, still in Tivat, she will deliver the opening speech at the Montenegro Investment conference, before heading to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the President will visit the Srebrenica memorial and participate in Sarajevo in a meeting with the members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Trio Presidency. She will then meet with the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers, Borjana Krišto.
On Wednesday morning, President von der Leyen will be in Serbia. She will have a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Serbia Đuro Macut, then with President Aleksandar Vučić.
On Wednesday afternoon, President von der Leyen will travel to Pristina, where she will meet with the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, and later with the caretaking Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.
Still on Wednesday afternoon, the President will travel to Skopje. She will hold a series of bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, with the President of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, and with the Speaker of Parliament, Afrim Gashi, concluding her trip to the region.
The President will hold press conferences and speeches throughout her tour, which will be broadcast on EBS.
This year´s visit by President von der Leyen to the Western Balkans follows those of 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021. She repeated the importance of the region for the European Union on multiple occasions over the past year, including in her 2025 State of the Union speech, at the May 2025 summit of the European Political Community and the December 2024 EU-Western Balkans Summit.
(For more information: Arianna Podestà - Tel.: +32 2 298 70 24)