On 1 October 2026, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, went to Pristina, Kosovo*, the second stop on her sixth annual tour of the Western Balkans. At a joint press conference with Albin Kurti, Kosovan Prime Minister*, she strongly reaffirmed her belief in a ‘European future’ for the country. She emphasised that full membership remained an option for Kosovo as a European nation, ruling out the idea of a mere ‘associate member’ status. The President reiterated that closer ties would depend on internal reforms, institutional stability and integration into the growth plan for the Western Balkans, which sets aside up to 882 million euros for Kosovo. During her visit, she also held talks with Albulena Haxhiu, Acting President of Kosovo*, and visited the new premises of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Pristina, which were funded by the EU.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence