The European Commission chief continued her Western Balkans tour on Wednesday with a visit to Serbia, urging the country to double its pace on its path to full EU membership.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen continued her tour of the Western Balkans with a visit to Belgrade, where she met Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Đuro Maćut. Discussions focused on a growth plan for the region, energy issues, and a reform agenda, with Serbia set to receive over 1.5 billion euros in financial aid, contingent on reforms in media legislation, voter lists, and rule of law.

Von der Leyen stressed the need for Serbia to accelerate reforms, particularly in the areas of rule of law and media freedom, as prerequisites for EU accession. She reiterated Brussels' support for Serbia, especially given recent US sanctions on the Serbian oil industry. Von der Leyen's tour also includes visits to Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Von der Leyen keeps door open to EU enlargement

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, continued her tour of the Western Balkans with a visit to Belgrade, where she arrived yesterday evening. She met with the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, and Prime Minister Đuro Maćut, and the main topics of the meeting were the growth plan for the Western Balkans, energy issue and reform agenda. According to the growth plan, Belgrade will receive 1 billion and 580 million euros of financial aid. Distribution is conditioned by the regulation of media legislation, the updating of voter lists and progress in the rule of law as the part of mentioned reform agenda. She emphasized that now is the right moment for Serbia to accelerate reforms in the area of the rule of law and media legislation. When it comes to the energy situation, let us remind you that the oil industry of Serbia is under the US sanctions since the beginning of October. Considering the circumstances, von der Leyen added that Belgrade can count on support from Brussels. Mr. President, now is the moment for Serbia to get concrete about joining our Union. My first point is that we need to see progress on the rule of law, the electoral framework and media freedom. I know these reforms are not easy. They take patience and endurance. They must include all parts of society and the political spectrum, but they are worth the effort. After her visit to Belgrade, Ursula von der Leyen will visit Kosovo and North Macedonia, ending her tour of Western Balkan countries this year. Previously, the President of the European Commission visited Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Washington

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Breakdown