Von der Leyen skips Serbia, will visit Kosovo and Albania

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will skip Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina during her Balkans tour, the European Commission (EC) announced.

"During the tour, President von der Leyen will visit Tirana, Pristina, Podgorica and Skopje. There she will meet with presidents and prime ministers, as well as visit projects funded by the European Union," said EC spokesperson Arianna Podesta.

The visit to the four countries in the region is scheduled to take place from September 30 to October 2.

REL had previously reported on the possibility that von der Leyen, if she did not visit Serbia, would not go to Bosnia and Herzegovina either.

Von der Leyen has had a warm relationship with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić for years, often addressing him with the words "dear Aleksandar".

This approach has been criticized by experts dealing with the Western Balkans.

It was previously said that von der Leyen would not visit Serbia during her Balkan tour due to political and social tensions in the country, while the funeral of Ratko Mladic, convicted of war crimes and genocide, had prompted strong reactions in the European Union.

Several members of the European Parliament had also called on von der Leyen not to travel to Belgrade.

"On the eve of parliamentary and general elections in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, von der Leyen plans to visit these two countries later," Podesta said.

This will be von der Leyen's sixth tour of the region, a visit that has now become a tradition ahead of the publication of the annual package of progress reports on EU candidate countries.

"As the President said at the June summit, our Union will not be complete without the Western Balkans. During her talks with partners, she will discuss the necessary steps on these countries' path towards the European Union, as well as the process of gradual integration, supported by the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans," said spokesperson Podesta.