EU chief due in Balkans to discuss enlargement

BELGRADE, Oct 23 (AFP): EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday starts a tour of six Balkan nations aspiring to join the bloc amid signs that enlargement is back on the Brussels agenda.

Von der Leyen's fourth visit to the region is an "important signal" that European Union enlargement is being discussed again, Heather Grabbe, an expert at Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, told AFP.

"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.

Her predecessor as European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, said on becoming head of the EU executive there would be no enlargement during his term.

For Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, von der Leyen's visit is an opportunity to show that they are serious about the reforms needed to hope to join the 27-nation bloc.