EU Commission President to have dinner with leaders from the Balkans

The President of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, whose visit to Crete received criticism, will attend a dinner with the leaders of Balkan countries in Greece next week, invited by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The Greek Prime Ministry announced that on 21 August, Mitsotakis will host an informal dinner in Athens. In attendance will be von der Leyen, EU Council President Charles Michel, and the leaders of the Western Balkan countries.

An occasion to mark the 20th anniversary of the EU-Western Balkans Summit and the Thessaloniki Declaration will be marked with a dinner. Discussions on the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries, the future of the region in Europe, and European enlargement process will be included, according to the statement.

The EU first presented the Western Balkans with a full membership perspective at the EU-Western Balkans Summit held in Thessaloniki in 2003. Back then, the Union aimed for Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo to become full members by 2025.

Von der Leyen's private visit to Crete was criticised by the EU
Von der Leyen's recent private trip to Crete as Mitsotakis' guest faced criticism within the EU. Sophie in 't Veld, an EP member, expressed her concerns on X social media (formerly Twitter) and applied to the EU Ombudsman to assess if the visit abided by the laws of the Union.

In her social media post, In 't Veld stated that the EU Commission must ensure that EU law is adequately executed. It should be impartial. The President of the EU Commission's decision-making process could be jeopardized due to the fact that they are holidaying at the home of the prime minister of one of the member states.

The EU Commission defended that von der Leyen's stay at Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis' home was "a personal trip in full compliance with the rules" in response to the AA correspondent's question regarding the incident.