European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will embark on her sixth annual tour of the Western Balkans from Tirana on Wednesday, while the European Commission has revealed the agenda of the visit that will take her to four countries in the region.
According to the agenda published on September 29, von der Leyen will visit Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia, with discussions focused on the next steps on the path to the EU and the gradual integration process.
In this process, the countries of the region are also supported by the EU's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, worth 6 billion euros.
Von der Leyen will begin her tour in Tirana, where on Wednesday she will hold meetings with President Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The Commission President will also visit the "Emin Duraku" school in Tirana, rebuilt after suffering damage from the 2019 earthquake, with EU funding.
On Thursday, von der Leyen will travel to Pristina, where she will meet with the acting President, Albulena Haxhiu, and Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
Later that day, she will be in Podgorica for meetings with President Jakov Milatović and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.
The tour will end on Friday in Skopje, where von der Leyen will hold meetings with President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
During the visits, the Commission President will also inspect EU-funded projects in Kosovo and North Macedonia, while in Montenegro she will participate in the inauguration of the National Coordination Center for Border Management.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia are not part of this tour. According to the Commission, in light of the upcoming parliamentary and general elections in these countries, von der Leyen intends to visit them at a later date. /LAPSI.al
