Skopje, 6 October 2021 (MIA) – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that EU’s partners in the Western Balkans have been undertaking important reforms, calling their progress visible. Now, it’s EU’s time to deliver, she said. The lack of decision on the opening of negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania is jeopardizing EU’s standing in the region, von der Leyen told a news conference alongside European Council President Charles Michel and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa after today’s summit of EU and Western Balkan leaders in Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia. She stressed that the European Commission has been working intensively on finding key issues in the bilateral topics between Bulgaria and North Macedonia. “It is 5+1 issue and we will make sure it is in the roadmap, as a practical step to solve problems,” the top EU official said. According to von der Leyen, dialogue, willingness and capacity for solving difficult and complex issues is what EU’s is all about, MIA’s Brdo pri Kranju correspondent reports. The President of the EU Commission said she is aware that issues should be solved first, including the Bulgaria-North Macedonia dispute, voicing confidence that solution would be found following the strong support expressed at the summit. Speaking at the news conference, von der Leyen welcomed reforms by the countries in the region in rule of law, fight against corruption and organized crime, freedom of the media and economic reforms, urging the course to be maintained. She said that the European Commission has a very clear message – the Western Balkans is part of the same Europe as the EU. We, the EU diplomat said, share the same history, the same interests and values and we share the same destiny as the EU is not complete without the Western Balkans. According to her, the EU wants the Western Balkans and the main goal is enlargement “without a doubt.” As regards the Economic and Investment Plan, “the anchor of EU’s engagement in the region”, it is also crucial for the common regional market, said von der Leyen. The fact that the EU is investing EUR 30 billion in the region is proof, according to her, that the EU is the most reliable partner of the Western Balkans. “Last week, I visited the six Western Balkan countries and I felt people’s impatience and partly their frustrations over the length of the process to join the EU. And I understand that,” Commission President von der Leyen said adding majority of leaders expressed support for enlargement especially in making step with Albania and North Macedonia, including the most skeptic leaders.