European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen concluded a multi-day visit to the Western Balkans, reiterating the EU’s commitment to the region’s European path and to the €6 billion Growth Plan. In Tirana, she addressed the EU–Western Balkans Investment Forum, noting concrete steps toward the EU Single Market and welcoming the inclusion of Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia in SEPA, which makes euro transfers faster and cheaper for citizens and businesses. In Montenegro, she commended progress on rule-of-law and the digital transition, confirming an initial €8 million disbursement under the Reform and Growth Facility—an entry point to a package exceeding €380 million, contingent on continued reforms.

Her stops in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo carried clear political signals alongside the economic track. In Sarajevo, she visited the Srebrenica Memorial and met state leaders, underlining that remembrance and accountability are integral to Europe’s values and that sustained reforms remain essential as the country advances on its EU course. In Belgrade, she urged accelerated work on justice reforms and closer alignment with EU foreign policy, alongside tangible progress in the EU-facilitated Dialogue with Kosovo—emphasising that reform delivery unlocks access, investment and new opportunities under the Growth Plan. In Pristina, she reaffirmed the EU’s long-term commitment to Kosovo’s European perspective, encouraging de-escalation, institution-building and steady implementation of agreed steps so the country can fully benefit from the Plan’s instruments and connectivity measures.

In Skopje, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated that the “next and only step” before opening accession negotiations is the agreed constitutional change—“the ball is in your court. The EU is ready,” she posted after meetings with the government. She paired the political message with concrete deliverables under the Growth Plan: an AI Factory antenna to be opened in Skopje to plug North Macedonia’s innovators into EuroHPC-powered AI resources; inclusion in the Single Euro Payments Area to make euro transfers faster and cheaper; and a new disbursement of €16 million linked to reforms already delivered.

“The future of the Western Balkans is within our Union. And it is up to all of us to make it happen.” Von der Leyen’s tour underlined that message with concrete steps already in motion, from Single Market–linked reforms and new investment pipelines in clean energy, innovation and sustainable tourism to people-to-people measures that reduce everyday costs and travel barriers, with a clear throughline that credible reforms and dialogue unlock access, funding and opportunities as the region moves closer to the European Union.