Brussels, 13 October 2023 (MIA) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Tirana on Sunday, where she will meet President Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama, focused on the country's EU negotiating process, said European Commission Spokesperson Eric Mammer on Friday, MIA reports from Brussels.

"On Monday, the EC President will take part at the Berlin Process Summit with partners from the Western Balkans and attend the opening of the College of Europe branch in Tirana," Mammer told a daily press briefing.

Asked why the EC President would visit Albania and not North Macedonia as well, since both countries are in the same group regarding the EU accession process, the EC Spokesperson said the Berlin Process Summit is the reason for von der Leyen's visit to Tirana.

"The EC President is very committed to the Western Balkans and she regularly visits the region. She is going to Tirana for the Berlin Process and while there, she will have bilateral visits with the country that we had planned before the publication of the enlargement reports. Obviously, this does not mean that she will not be visiting the other countries. We will inform you about planned visits to the other countries in the region in due time," said Mammer.

He added that the EC Progress Reports for candidate states will be released at the start of next month, most probably on November 9.

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