European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will undertake a Western Balkans tour in mid-October, according to unofficial EU sources.
Her visit will begin on October 13, during which she is expected to meet leaders of all six regional countries. Von der Leyen will arrive in Prishtina on October 15, where meetings with President Vjosa Osmani and acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti are planned.
The visit is seen as an opportunity to reaffirm the EU perspective for the Western Balkans. However, the annual European Commission report—usually released in October—has been postponed to early November to coincide with her trip, with analysts suggesting this aims to present the visit as a diplomatic success.
Despite this, expectations for positive assessments in the reports remain low. Only Albania and, to some extent, Montenegro are showing progress in EU accession talks, while other states are stagnating or regressing.
- Kosovo’s report is expected to focus on the ongoing institutional deadlock.
- Serbia’s report will highlight the domestic political crisis and year-long protests.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina remains in a state of constitutional crisis.
- North Macedonia continues to face a blockade due to Bulgaria’s veto.
