European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit Kosovo on October 15, as part of a regional tour that will also include other Western Balkan countries.
According to the agenda published by the European Commission, during her stay in Kosovo she will meet with President Vjosa Osmani and Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
The published agenda does not specify the topics that the head of the European Commission will discuss with Osmani and Kurti.
Von der Leyen will start her Western Balkans tour on October 13 in Tirana, where she is expected to meet with Albanian President Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama, and attend the opening ceremony of the EU–Western Balkans Investment Forum.
On the same day, October 13, Von der Leyen will also visit Tivat, Montenegro, where she will meet with President Jakov Milatović and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.
A day later, she will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she is scheduled to meet with members of the Presidency, Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers Borjana Krišto, and visit the Srebrenica Memorial Center.
Before arriving in Kosovo on October 15, Von der Leyen will stop in Belgrade, where she will meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Đuro Macut.
After her visit to Kosovo, she will conclude her regional tour in North Macedonia, where meetings are planned with President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, and Speaker of Parliament Afrim Gashi.
The last time Von der Leyen visited Kosovo was in October of last year, when she discussed the EU’s punitive measures imposed on Kosovo.
Since then, the European bloc has announced the gradual lifting of some of these measures, introduced in 2023 following heightened tensions in northern Kosovo, a region predominantly inhabited by ethnic Serbs.
During that visit, the European Commission President praised Kosovo’s progress on reform initiatives related to the EU Growth Plan.
However, Kosovo has not benefited from the plan so far, as the absence of functioning institutions has delayed the ratification of key international agreements.
The €6 billion Growth Plan includes investments and reforms aimed at Western Balkan countries as part of the EU’s reform agenda for the 2024–2027 period.
Of this amount, €2 billion will be provided as grants, while €4 billion will come in the form of highly favorable loans.
The plan seeks to accelerate reforms and help prepare Western Balkan states for EU membership.
