European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit Albania, Kosova, Montenegro and North Macedonia this week. She will start the regional tour in Tirana on September 30 and meet Albania’s senior leaders.

Von der Leyen will travel to Prishtina on October 1. She will meet acting President Albulena Haxhiu and Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Later that day, she will travel to Podgorica for talks with Montenegro’s leaders on European integration. The tour will end in Skopje on October 2 with meetings with North Macedonia’s leaders.

The European Commission says the talks will focus on the next steps toward EU membership for Western Balkan countries. The discussions will also cover the gradual integration of the region. Von der Leyen will also highlight the Western Balkans Growth Plan and visit EU-funded projects during the tour.

The visit marks von der Leyen’s sixth tour of the Western Balkans. She said at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in June that the EU was not complete without the Western Balkans. The tour comes as the EU seeks to accelerate the region’s integration process while Western Balkan countries continue their reform efforts.

/a.p./