European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s tour across the Western Balkans reached a pivotal moment in Belgrade on October 15, 2025, as she called on Serbia to accelerate its path toward European Union membership. Her visit, part of a broader regional journey that included Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, placed Serbia’s progress—and its challenges—firmly in the spotlight.
Standing alongside Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at a joint press conference, von der Leyen left little doubt about the EU’s expectations. "Nearly two decades ago, Serbia made the choice to join the EU—not as a strategic calculation, but as the heartfelt wish of the Serbian people," she stated, as reported by multiple European outlets. Now, she said, Brussels expects Serbia to move "twice as fast" on its path toward full-fledged membership.
The European Commission chief did not mince words about the reforms needed. She emphasized the importance of respect for the rule of law, robust electoral reforms, media freedom, and—crucially—alignment with EU foreign policy, including the imposition of sanctions on Moscow. "The EU needs to see greater alignment in our foreign policy, including on sanctions against Russia," von der Leyen said, according to Politico Europe. She acknowledged Serbia’s progress, stating, "I must commend you, Serbia is already 61% aligned with our foreign policy, but more is needed. We must be able to count on Serbia as a reliable partner."
Von der Leyen also recognized the slow but tangible steps Serbia has taken. She welcomed progress on voter registries and the appointment of the media regulator (REM) Council, crediting the efforts of civil society and the opposition. "This is a good first step," she remarked, but stressed that implementation of reforms bringing Serbia closer to the EU remains crucial. To keep momentum, von der Leyen invited President Vučić to Brussels in a month’s time to "jointly assess the situation."
Against this backdrop of political process, the region is facing its own share of turbulence. The past year in Serbia has been marked by persistent, student-led protests, which neared their one-year anniversary at the time of von der Leyen’s visit. These demonstrations were initially sparked by a deadly train station awning collapse in November 2024 that killed 16 people—a tragedy that galvanized public calls for political and economic reform. The protests have since drawn widespread attention both within Serbia and internationally.
Von der Leyen addressed these protests directly, describing them as a "crucial moment for Serbia and a time for the entire nation to come together." She said, "This is the moment to strengthen the foundations of a strong, vibrant, and effective democracy. I want to assure you that the EU stands ready to support you and invest every effort in this regard. The entire accession process is about that, reforms that bring society along. Everyone must be involved." She pointed to the government’s cooperation with civil society as a model for future reforms, noting, "That’s an important example and a good step forward for future reforms. Now it’s essential to see concrete change on the ground."
President Vučić, for his part, responded to the unrest by defending Serbia’s record on freedom of assembly. "This is a country that is a world champion in freedom of assembly, because we've had over 25,000 criminal or illegal, unregistered gatherings that we protected, secured, and took care of the people who organised them illegally. Just to set the record straight," he said at the press conference. Addressing allegations of excessive police force, Vučić insisted, "And when you talk about police response and the 'excessive use of force,' or however you want to call it—if that ever happened, it happened least of all in Serbia. The police only reacted in cases of absolute necessity and with minimal use of force."
Von der Leyen’s visit to Belgrade came at a critical juncture for Serbia’s energy future as well. The country’s long-term gas deal with Moscow is set to expire at the end of 2025. Von der Leyen highlighted the EU’s solidarity with its member states and Western Balkan partners after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which she said had a "devastating impact across our entire continent, but we faced it together." The implication was clear: Serbia’s energy and foreign policy decisions will be closely watched as it negotiates its future with both Brussels and Moscow.
After Belgrade, von der Leyen continued her tour with a visit to Kosovo, where she met President Vjosa Osmani and caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Kosovo’s leadership expressed readiness to advance reforms and pursue EU integration, but also called for the lifting of restrictive measures imposed by the EU in June 2023. These measures, introduced in response to actions by the Kosovo government that Brussels said heightened tensions with the ethnic Serb community in northern Kosovo, remain a point of contention. Osmani emphasized, "The support of the European Commission for Kosovo in this process remains essential." Von der Leyen, while not making public statements in Pristina, signaled ongoing EU engagement with Kosovo’s aspirations.
Von der Leyen’s Western Balkans tour also spotlighted progress elsewhere in the region. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, she met with Borjana Krišto, head of the state-level Council of Ministers, and praised the country’s progress, saying Bosnia "has come a long way" and now "stands on the threshold of the European Union." However, she noted that a €1 billion investment plan for Bosnia—part of the EU’s €6 billion Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans from 2024 to 2027—remains on hold due to stalled judicial reforms. She underscored the need to adopt judicial reform laws and hold an intergovernmental conference as the next step.
Montenegro, meanwhile, was lauded as a "leader in European integration." Von der Leyen noted that the Adriatic country could close five negotiation chapters by the end of 2025, having already provisionally closed seven of the 33 required. This progress, she suggested, could serve as a template for other Western Balkan states looking to speed up their own integration efforts.
Throughout her tour, von der Leyen’s message was consistent: the EU remains committed to the Western Balkans, but expects concrete reforms and a clear commitment to European values. "We live in a fragmented world where the gap between democracies and autocracies is widening," she said. "You know the EU’s position—our stance is for freedom, not repression, including the right to peaceful assembly. We stand for partnership instead of domination, and diplomacy instead of aggression."
As the Western Balkans weigh their future, the path to EU membership is as much about internal transformation as it is about international alignment. The coming months will reveal whether Serbia and its neighbors can translate promises into progress—and whether the EU’s door will open wider as a result.