Von der Leyen begins Western Balkans tour in Albania, calls it an EU accession frontrunner
The European Commission president said accession roadmaps are being prepared for all leading candidates, aiming to turn the path to EU membership into concrete steps.
What we know
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began a tour of the Western Balkans in Albania on Sept. 30, according to her post on X. [2]
- Von der Leyen said Albania is among the frontrunners in the EU accession process. [1]
- She said the Commission is preparing accession roadmaps for all frontrunners, intended to turn the path to membership into concrete steps. [1]
- On Oct. 1, von der Leyen said she was visiting the Emin Duraku school, one of 63 schools rebuilt under the EU4Schools program after the 2019 earthquake. [3]
- Not yet confirmed: The sources do not say which other countries count as frontrunners, what the roadmaps will contain, or when they will be released. No accession timeline for Albania was given.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Albania is among the frontrunners in the European Union's accession process, as she began a tour of the Western Balkans in the country.
Von der Leyen wrote on X on Sept. 30 that she was glad to start the tour in Albania. She addressed the account @ediramaal directly, saying Albania was working hard to turn its "European dream" into reality. [2]
She said a focus on reforms, from justice to the environment, is key, along with a strong dialogue with society. "The goal is in sight," she wrote. [2]
In a later post, von der Leyen said the Commission is preparing accession roadmaps for all frontrunner countries. She said the roadmaps will turn the path to membership into concrete steps. [1] She did not name the other countries in that group or give details of the roadmaps in the post.
On Oct. 1, von der Leyen wrote that Europe stood by Albania when the devastating 2019 earthquake struck and continues to do so. She described the EU4Schools program as an example of that solidarity and said it rebuilt 63 schools. [3]
Von der Leyen said she was visiting one of those schools, Emin Duraku, that day. [3]
RECEIPTS · 3 SOURCES
- 1POST ON X · @vonderleyen (Ursula von der Leyen)Albania is among the frontrunners in our accession process. And for all frontrunners we are preparing accession roadmaps. These roadmaps wilOpen source ↗ Archived copy
- 2POST ON X · @vonderleyen (Ursula von der Leyen)Glad to start my tour of the Western Balkans in Albania. Dear @ediramaal, you are working hard to turn Albania’s European dream into realityOpen source ↗ Archived copy
- 3POST ON X · @vonderleyen (Ursula von der Leyen)When the devastating 2019 earthquake struck, Europe stood by Albania. And we stand by you to this day. EU4Schools is a moving example of thiOpen source ↗ Archived copy