Last Saturday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen concluded a four-day trip to the Western Balkans. Travelling to the six capitals, she met with the leaders of Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and Montenegro. In Tirana, she also delivered a speech at the inauguration ceremony of the new College of Europe's campus.
This trip to the Western Balkans was an opportunity to take stock of the progress made by these partners since the adoption of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans last year and on their respective paths towards EU accession. The President praised the efforts and commitment on the path to EU accession and emphasised that enlargement will be at the top of her agenda for the next five years.
Prior to the President's visit, the Commission approved the Reform Agendas of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. In their Reform Agendas, the five Western Balkan governments have committed to implementing socio-economic and fundamental reforms to foster growth and convergence with the EU. This marks a key step in enabling disbursements under the EU's €6 billion Reform and Growth Facility, which will be issued upon completion of agreed reform milestones.
During her visit, the President highlighted the concrete benefits that the Growth Plan will bring to the region, complementing the already tangible results of the projects launched under the Investment Plan for the Western Balkans adopted in 2020.
The President also used this occasion to recall the importance of the EU's solidarity and support to the region in the wake of natural disasters. In Bosnia and Herzegovina she visited a region recently hit by devastating floods to express her support and she pledged assistance for recovery and reconstruction.
Finally, at the inauguration ceremony of the College of Europe's new campus in Tirana the President stressed that today - just like after 1989 when "it felt like the unification of our continent was inevitable" - European history is on the move and the wind of change is blowing again.
She also recalled the winds blowing in the opposite direction, "towards division, nationalism and suppression". Whether it is the Russian invasion of Ukraine, "precisely for Ukraine's desire to join our Union," or the massive interference in the Moldovan referendum on its European future, "these forces are constantly at work to destabilise the countries who make the choice of Europe," the President stressed, while urging for more proactivity than ever before, and calling on the new energy and enthusiasm of young generations to write the next chapter of Europe.
