Growth, reform, Russia: Von der Leyen in the Western Balkans
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had a busy schedule when she visited the Western Balkan states of Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia this week, all in just under three days.
She has been to the region several times before, most recently in 2024. All six Western Balkan states hope to join the EU, though it's unclear exactly when this might happen. Croatia was the last country to join the bloc in 2013.
Countries in this region are working toward this goal at different speeds: While Montenegro, for example, is deemed to have a good chance of soon joining the EU, things look less promising for Serbia due to its pro-Russian politics and increasingly authoritarian government.
Serbians have been protesting almost nonstop against the government of President Aleksandar Vucic since a train station roof collapsed in Novi Sad, northern Serbia, in November 2024, killing 15 people. Another person died of their injuries some months later. The Serbian opposition and protesters are calling for fresh elections, although Vucic has rejected this demand and has allowed security forces to brutally crack down on demonstrations.
Several civil society organizations, including Reporters Without Borders, have also urged von der Leyen to draw attention to press freedom problems in Serbia. Critics have repeatedly accused the EU of being too lenient toward Vucic.
Serbia urged to implement reforms
Still, during this visit to Serbia, von der Leyen did not mince words. At a press conference on October 15, she told reporters that "now is the moment for Serbia to get concrete about joining our union," adding that "we need to see progress, on the rule of law, the electoral framework and media freedom."
That von der Leyen decided to address these issues and publicly criticize Serbia's democratic setbacks could end up strengthening the EU's position, said Nikolaos Tzifakis, a professor of international relations at the College of Europe and expert on the Western Balkans.
"It will have a significant impact on political reforms in the region if the EU consistently rewards progress and sanctions stagnation or setbacks," he told DW.
The EU is putting its influence at risk and undermining the trust of pro-European forces if it pursues a policy of appeasement toward pro-Russia actors, he argued.
Von der Leyen also urged Serbia to join EU sanctions against Russia, even though President Vucic just met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in September. While Serbia has aligned its foreign policy more closely with the EU in some respects, more needs to be done, von der Leyen said.
Montenegro leads by example
Von der Leyen's visit to Montenegro the day before showed just how much progress other countries in the region have already made toward EU membership, with the EU chief praising Montenegro for being "fully aligned with the European Union's foreign and security policy."
"You are a front-runner, without any question, in the accession process," she said, adding that the country had a realistic chance of joining the EU by 2028.
Her Montenegro visit focused "more on investments rather than reforms," Nina Vujanovic, a fellow at the Brussels-based Bruegel think tank, told DW. For example, Montenegro's recent accession to the European SEPA payment area, along with Albania and North Macedonia, should help to grow its economy.
Von der Leyen aimed to promote foreign direct investment in the region during her trip, said Vujanovic, even though it is already comparatively high. Foreign direct investment in the Western Balkans accounted for an average of 6.4% of gross domestic product between 2020 and 2023, according to the OECD — more than four times the EU average of 1.5%.
The EU's plan for the Western Balkans aims to further boost economic growth. Funding worth €6 billion ($7 billion) will be made available until 2027 to help double the region's gross domestic product over the next decade.
Economic integration and geopolitics
While much of von der Leyen's visit centered on advancing economic integration, Vujanovic said she also called for political reforms.
"The Western Balkans region is very diverse, and this is reflected in the way she addressed decision-makers [about reforms] in the different countries," Vujanovic added.
Von der Leyen also called for greater political stability not only in Serbia, but also in neighboring Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Political analyst Tzifakis said the situation in Kosovo as well as Bosnia-Herzegovina poses a foreign policy challenge for the EU, as nationalist divisions and conflicts open up opportunities for Russia to exert influence. Potential EU accession is therefore driven by "geopolitical considerations."
Yet accession candidates should be under no illusion that the EU will bend over backwards to admit them, he said. "Although the EU is determined to speed up the enlargement process, it is not prepared to lower the accession criteria."