PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday denounced Russia’s hybrid attacks on democracies and said the European Union struggles daily to debunk disinformation.
Von der Leyen was in Kosovo this week as part of a trip to aspiring EU member states in the Western Balkans to reassure them that EU enlargement remains a priority for the 27-nation bloc.
Von der Leyen denounced Russia’s attempts “to destabilize these democracies,” adding that Brussels is trying to expose propaganda “in favor of an entire region.”
“It is possible for us to stand up for the truth, for transparency and for a very clear message. So here we are in reality countering a hybrid attack that Russia is waging against democracies,” she said at a news conference in the capital Pristina.
Von der Leyen came to Kosovo from neighboring Serbia, which has close ties with Russia and has refused to join international sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
She made no mention of the 13-year-old EU-led dialogue to normalize ties between Serbia and the former province of Kosovo, focusing instead on the bloc’s efforts to boost the region’s economy.
Relations between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense even 25 years after NATO’s 78-day bombing campaign in 1999, which ended a war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo, killing around 13,000 people. mainly ethnic Albanians. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which Belgrade has not recognized.
Last year, EU officials offered a €6 billion growth plan to Western Balkan countries in a bid to double the region’s economy over the next decade and accelerate their efforts to join the bloc. That aid is conditional on reforms that would bring their economies into line with EU rules.
The countries of the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – are at various stages of their application for EU membership. The countries have been frustrated by the slow pace of the process, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has prompted European leaders to push for the six to join the bloc.
The Commission approved the reform agendas of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia on Wednesday after receiving the green light from EU member states. This was an important step to enable payments under the Growth Plan after completion of the agreed reform measures.
Von der Leyen’s trip ends with a visit to Montenegro.
