EU Commission nominee von der Leyen is open to W. Balkan states, hopes Britain will remain

The nominee for the position of the EU’s next chief executive said on Wednesday that she hoped Britain would not quit the bloc, and also urged EU governments to keep a membership path open for the Western Balkans.

Ursula von der Leyen hopes to be confirmed as president of the European Commission. “I still hope you will remain,” she told a hearing in the European Parliament ahead of a vote on her nomination next week. She added, however, that the UK “must sort its side of things on Brexit.”

Making her pitch in Brussels, von der Leyen promised to European lawmakers to focus on promoting the rule of law, competitiveness, digitalization, and fight against climate change, Reuters reports.