Dear readers,
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was back in the Western Balkans this week. You could follow her messages from across the region on our website. Two stops on her tour in particular showed where EU enlargement policy currently stands. In Tirana, she said Albania’s EU accession goals are “on the horizon”, while in Podgorica she backed Montenegro’s ambition to become the 28th member by 2028. At the time of sending this newsletter, Von der Leyen is in Skopje, where she said that North Macedonia need to regain momentum on its path towards EU membership.
At the same time, the European Commission is preparing new roadmaps for the most advanced candidate countries, including Montenegro and Albania, which should provide a clearer picture of what remains to be done and within what timeframe.
This time, the Commission President skipped Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia because of the ongoing election campaigns in both countries.
Citizens of Bosnia will vote in general elections this Sunday. The campaign has once again highlighted the country’s deep political and ethnic divisions, with national issues and accusations between political rivals overshadowing the concerns citizens identify as their most pressing – from the cost of living and wages to the departure of young people and a lacks of jobs.
Serbia will vote later on 25 October, with the election campaign continuing. Aleksandar Vučić resigned as President for Serbia in order to run for prime minister, while Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić took over as Acting President.
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Best regards,
Sofija Popović
Newsletter Editor
In focus
The European Commission is expected on 6 October to propose significant changes to the way the EU takes decisions – without reopening the treaties – alongside an entirely new set of safeguards against democratic and rule of law backsliding in future member states.
