European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed to bring the economies of the Western Balkans and the European Union 'closer' on Monday as she began a four-day tour of the region. Her plan includes a €6 billion investment package, to be delivered on condition the countries make reforms to open up their economies, overcome their conflicts and modernize their administrations. Professor James Ker-Lindsay, who has written extensively on the EU, the Balkans and Southeast Europe, joins Thanos Davelis to break down whether this is a window of opportunity  to reinvigorate the EU accession process for the Western Balkans.

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

Von der Leyen vows to bring Western Balkan and EU economies 'closer' as four-day visit starts

EU to help Western Balkans reforms with 6 billion euro package - von der Leyen

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