Overview
- Johann Wadephul begins the trip in Sarajevo on Nov. 16 with meetings with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tripartite presidency and High Representative Christian Schmidt.
- The Foreign Ministry says the focus is to assess each country’s progress and challenges in the EU enlargement process.
- The schedule includes Montenegro and Albania on Monday, then Serbia that evening, followed by Kosovo on Tuesday and North Macedonia later that day.
- Berlin describes the Western Balkans as part of the European family and points to sustained support through the Germany-driven Berlin Process since the EU’s 2003 accession pledge.
- The outreach follows years of stalled accession, rising regional frustration, and EU concern over possible drift toward China or Russia after an unproductive 2024 summit.