🇪🇺 EU Commission President Von der Leyen’s messages during her visit to the W.Balkans:
🇦🇱 Albania (33/33 chapters opened; 3 closed):
- Said Albania is one of the front-runners in accession
- The key task is to finish the remaining accession reforms/chapters and keep the process on track for membership
🇲🇪 Montenegro (33/33 opened; 16 closed):
- Endorsed Montengro to join EU in 2028 as the 28th EU member
- Said country should aim to finish the remaining negotiating chapters by the end of 2026
🇲🇰 N.Macedonia (No chapters opened):
- Said it belongs in the EU “with its [Macedonian] identity and language”
- Make the constitutional changes [add Bulgarians in constitution] required to unlock the next stage of accession negotiations
🇽🇰 Kosovo (accession negotiations not started):
- Called for new institutions to be fully established, including electing a president, and for a major acceleration of reforms
- Mentioned SEPA membership, roaming negotiations, and rebuilding trust with Kosovo Serbs
(She did not visit 🇧🇦&🇷🇸 due to elections in the countries)