President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has concluded her short visit to Kosovo.
During her stay, von der Leyen met with Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti and President Vjosa Osmani, but she did not answer questions from journalists following the meetings, reports KosovaPress.
Von der Leyen’s visit is part of her tour of the Western Balkans, which has included Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. After Kosovo, she is scheduled to visit North Macedonia.
The visit is seen as an opportunity to reaffirm the EU’s support for the Western Balkans’ path toward EU membership, gradual access to the Single Market, and to discuss the EU’s €6 billion Growth Plan for the Western Balkans for 2024–2027.
Her previous visit to Kosovo was in October 2024, during which she addressed EU sanctions imposed on Kosovo. Since then, the EU has started lifting some of the 2023 sanctions, initially imposed due to rising tensions in the north.
Von der Leyen also praised Kosovo’s progress on its reform agenda under the EU Growth Plan, although the country has not yet benefited from the plan due to delays in forming institutions and ratifying key international agreements.
The €6 billion Growth Plan includes investments and reforms as part of the EU reform agenda for 2024–2027, with €2 billion in grants and €4 billion in concessional loans.
