BELGRADE
\nEU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday starts a tour of six Balkan nations aspiring to join the bloc amid signs that enlargement is back on the Brussels agenda.
\nVon der Leyen\u2019s fourth visit to the region is an \u201cimportant signal\u201d that European Union enlargement is being discussed again, Heather Grabbe, an expert at Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, told AFP.
\n\u201cThe fact that she is going early in the second term and going frequently is a strong political signal of commitment and interest,\u201d Grabbe said.
\nHer predecessor as European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, said on becoming head of the EU executive that there would be no enlargement during his term, Grabbe underlined.
\nFor Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, von der Leyen\u2019s visit is an opportunity to show that they are serious about the reforms needed to hope to join the 27-nation bloc.
\nEU\u2019s enlargement to the region of slightly less than 18 million people is a 20-year-old debate.
\nIn some countries public support for EU membership and the political will to implement reforms fell during that period. But the mood changed with Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, that \u201cre-energised the whole process\u201d, Grabbe said.
\n\u201cThe geopolitical urgency around Ukraine and Moldova \u2026 that has helped them along,\u201d she said referring to the Balkan EU hopefuls.
\nVon der Leyen\u2019s four-day tour, that starts in Albania, will have a \u201crather optimistic tone since another mechanism has been launched to move the entire region closer to the EU,\u201d said Jelica Minic, vice-president of the European Movement in Serbia, an NGO.
\nShe was referring to the bloc\u2019s growth plan for the Western Balkans adopted in November 2023.
\nTo counter the economic influence of China and Russia in the region, the EU has proposed a six billion euro ($6.5 billion) initiative aimed at doubling the region\u2019s economic capacity.
\nThe plan is based on integration with EU\u2019s single market, a regional common market, acceleration of reforms and increased financial assistance.
\nBut payments will be strictly linked to reforms, notably alignment with the EU\u2019s common foreign and security policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BELGRADE EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday starts a tour of six Balkan nations aspiring to join the bloc amid signs that enlargement is back on the Brussels agenda. Von der Leyen\u2019s fourth visit to the region is an \u201cimportant signal\u201d that European Union enlargement is being discussed again, Heather Grabbe, an expert […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":439115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-439093","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n