European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit four Western Balkan capitals later this month but leave Serbia and Bosnia off the itinerary, officially because of upcoming elections — a decision that comes days after she sharply criticised the glorification of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić in Belgrade.
BRUSSELS, Sept 18 (BalkanView) – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 but will postpone visits to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina until after elections in the two countries, the European Commission said on Friday.
The trip will take von der Leyen to Tirana, Pristina, Podgorica and Skopje, where she will meet heads of state and government and visit projects financed by the European Union.
The Commission said discussions would focus on the next steps on the countries’ paths towards EU membership and their gradual integration into the bloc, supported by the EU’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
It will be the sixth consecutive year in which von der Leyen has toured the region.
“In light of the upcoming parliamentary and general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Serbia, the president intends to visit these countries at a later date,” Commission spokesperson Arianna Podestà told reporters.
The unusual itinerary immediately raised questions in Brussels over whether the decision to skip Belgrade was also linked to tensions surrounding the funeral of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladić.
The Commission rejected that interpretation as the reason for postponing the visit.
Asked directly whether Mladić’s funeral had influenced von der Leyen’s decision, Podestà said the president would not travel to Serbia and Bosnia because elections were approaching and that the EU did not want to become involved in their electoral processes.
She said von der Leyen intended to visit both countries after the elections.
Mladić controversy hangs over Serbia-EU relations
The clarification comes against the backdrop of sharp criticism from senior EU officials following Mladić’s funeral in Belgrade earlier this month.
Mladić, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb army, was serving a life sentence following convictions for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the 1992-95 Bosnian war.
His funeral on Sept. 7 was attended by senior officials from Serbia and Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity, prompting criticism from Brussels.
Von der Leyen condemned the scenes in her State of the Union address on Sept. 16, saying she had been “horrified” by images from the funeral and declaring that the glorification of war criminals had no place in the European Union.
The Commission reiterated that position on Friday while insisting it was separate from the decision on the timing of her visit.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos had earlier cancelled a planned trip to Serbia following controversy surrounding the return of Mladić’s body and events connected with his funeral.
Vučić questions Brussels’ explanation
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić responded to Friday’s announcement by suggesting that the elections might not fully explain von der Leyen’s absence.
He described the election timetable as an “elegant” explanation and suggested that the Commission president was well aware of political sentiment in Serbia.
The Commission, however, was explicit that its practice was to avoid visits that could be interpreted as interfering in election campaigns.
Serbia is due to hold an early parliamentary election on Oct. 25, while Bosnia and Herzegovina is scheduled to hold general elections on Oct. 4.
Von der Leyen’s visit therefore comes just days before Bosnia’s vote and several weeks before Serbia’s election.
Four stops, EU membership at the centre
For Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia, the tour will focus primarily on European integration.
Von der Leyen is expected to discuss reforms required for closer integration, implementation of the EU Growth Plan and projects financed by Brussels.
The Commission has increasingly presented enlargement not only as an institutional process but as a strategic issue tied to Europe’s security and geopolitical position.
At the EU-Western Balkans summit in Montenegro in June, von der Leyen said the future of the Western Balkans was in the European Union and described enlargement as an investment in stability, prosperity and security.
The four destinations on her upcoming tour are at different stages in their relations with Brussels.
Montenegro and Albania are conducting accession negotiations, North Macedonia remains an EU candidate whose accession process has faced political obstacles, while Kosovo is a potential candidate and is not recognised as an independent state by five EU members.
The Commission said gradual integration under the Growth Plan would be one of the central themes of von der Leyen’s discussions.
Serbia and Bosnia to be visited later
Brussels has stressed that Serbia and Bosnia have not been removed from von der Leyen’s regional agenda.
The Commission says visits to both countries are expected after their elections.
That distinction is politically significant because Serbia and Bosnia remain part of the EU’s enlargement framework despite persistent disputes over reforms, regional relations and the interpretation of the wars of the 1990s.
The decision nevertheless gives this year’s Western Balkans tour a different shape.
Instead of visiting all six partners during one regional swing, von der Leyen will travel to four capitals while leaving Belgrade and Sarajevo for a later date.
And while Brussels says the reason is electoral timing, the tour will take place against a more complicated political backdrop after the controversy surrounding Mladić’s funeral and renewed EU warnings that glorification of convicted war criminals is incompatible with the values expected of countries seeking membership.