The visit of the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen last Thursday in Tirana will be followed by the visit of two commissioners with key portfolios to the European executive on November 3rd.

It will be Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice who will meet with the Albanian minister of Justice, Ulsi Manja, and Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs who will participate in the EU-Balkan Ministerial Forum for Justice and Internal affairs.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, is expected to present on the same date (November 3) in Berlin concrete proposals for the supply with gas of the Balkans region from third countries such as Egypt, and proposals in terms of renewable energy and energy security.

The European Commission is thus concretizing an increased commitment to the expansion policy with the Western Balkans in the geo-political context of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

While, Ylva Johansson will lay emphasis on stopping illegal migrants using the Western Balkans route to EU.

The issue of stopping illegal migrants crossing from the Western Balkans is a significant problem of the European Union. This is because member states such as Austria have encountered a sudden arrival of thousands of illegal migrants these months, most of whom have passed through the territory of Serbia. For this reason, the EU commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and the Czech Republic president of the EU have warned that if quick and adapted measures are not taken, activation of the mechanism of visa suspension (free movement in Schengen) can be foreseen for countries that benefit from visa liberalization, such as Serbia. A warning that is also valid for other countries in the region.

This is the third consecutive week that the EU commissioner meets with the interior ministers of the region.

/a.p./