Pallade Veneta - EU chief starts Balkans tour, says enlargement 'top priority'

"Rest assured that enlargement will remain top priority in my next mandate," von der Leyen told a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

"We have now all the necessary tools and all the instruments that we need in place, so let's go to a good work," she added.

Rama said that there was "no debate on whether Albania's place is in the European Union, and our children's future must be shaped only in the EU".

"We are EU fanatics", the prime minister stressed.

Von der Leyen, on her fourth visit to the region, will move on to North Macedonia on Thursday before taking in the other countries in the region.

Discussions around EU enlargement in the region of almost 18 million people stretch back 20 years, with Brussels blowing hot and cold during that period.

The six countries too have endured wildly different fortunes, with Kosovo still not recognised by five EU states and the furthest from membership, while Montenegro is seen as the frontrunner.

Public support for EU membership and the political will to implement reforms fell in some countries during that period.

But the mood changed with Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, an event that "re-energised the whole process", Heather Grabbe of Brussels-based think tank Bruegel told AFP.

The conflict sparked renewed efforts in EU circles to counter Russian influence in the region.

"The fact that she is going early in the second term and going frequently is a strong political signal of commitment and interest," Grabbe said.

The six countries von der Leyen will visit -- Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia -- will be trying to show they are serious about passing the reforms the EU demands.

- Russia ties -

Von der Leyen's four-day tour is likely to have a "rather optimistic tone", said Jelica Minic, vice-president of the European Movement in Serbia NGO.

She pointed out that the bloc launched a growth plan for the Western Balkans in November 2023, which involves a six-billion-euro ($6.5 billion) initiative to counter the economic influence of China and Russia.

Payments will be strictly linked to reforms, particularly alignment with the EU's common foreign and security policy.

So von der Leyen is likely to broach the topic of diplomatic alignment, particularly in Serbia, which has maintained friendly ties with Russia and has refused to sanctions Moscow over the Ukraine invasion.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic often praises his Russian counterpart but on Monday declined Vladimir Putin's invitation to attend the BRICS summit, citing important visits to Serbia.

Another hot-button issue that could come up during von der Leyen's visit is the enlargement timetable, with some countries having been candidates for two decades.

The EU has praised Montenegro's reforms and it is perceived as the most advanced on the road to membership, but Lukas Macek from the Jacques Delors Institute said he did not believe the tiny country would accede before 2030.

"It is possible for some countries like Montenegro, and maybe others, to make sure that by the end of the commission's mandate, negotiations are closed."

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A.Fallone--PV