Von der Leyen to begin Balkans tour in Skopje on Wednesday
Brussels, 24 October 2022 (MIA) – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is starting on Wednesday a visit to the Western Balkans, with the main message being the EU’s commitment to the region’s European integration, MIA’s Brussels correspondent reports.
EC President Ursula von der Leyen is starting on Wednesday a new tour across the Western Balkan countries in the context of the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis. The purpose of this visit is to convey the message that the region is important to the European Union, spokesperson Eric Mamer said Monday.
“This visit is of course taking place in a special context, which is the context of successive crises, first the Covid-crisis, and now the war in Ukraine and its consequences,” Mamer said.
As she said last week in Strasbourg, part of the assistance in the area of the energy crisis will be the inclusion of the Western Balkan countries for the joint purchase of energy with the EU countries. This platform aims to strengthen cooperation between countries and reduce competition between countries in the energy market.
“The message is the EU's solidarity with the region, engagement through programs that aim to encourage investments and the will to continue cooperating with the entire region,” the spokesperson said.
Regarding North Macedonia’s request to receive support from the European Union for the purchase of electricity from Bulgaria through compensation of the market price, Eric Mamer stated there is no information on this topic at this point.
European Commission Spokesperson for Climate Action and Energy, Tim McPhie, told MIA a few days ago that this Macedonian request is currently not on the table in Brussels. It remains to be seen whether the Macedonian authorities will make the request again and whether von der Leyen will be able to provide assistance.
Following Skopje, the EC President will travel to Pristina and Tirana on Thursday, Sarajevo and Belgrade on Friday, and Podgorica on Saturday.
