European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, said in Ohrid, on April 9, that 2011 would be very important to the entire region.

After meeting with Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Barroso, who is on a brief tour of the Balkans, urged all of Macedonia's political parties to find a consensus on key issues and announced that Macedonia could expect a positive European Commission report this year.

Barroso, who visited Sarajevo on April 8 together with European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele, said Bosnia-Herzegovina was a part of the European family and that its future was in Europe, but that the country was in need of the spirit of compromise and a common vision on the road to EU membership.

After meeting with members of the Bosnian Presidency, Barroso said the EU was ready to help Bosnia by boosting its presence and financial assistance, but also cautioned that the country's authorities needed to make considerable strides.

In Podgorica, on the same day, Barroso said that Montenegro needed to show concrete results in its struggle against organized crime and corruption for negotiations on EU membership to start. He lauded the country's legislative and institutional efforts, adding that the government was committed to European integration, but also warned that there was still much work to be done.

Barroso and Fuele arrived on a brief tour of the Balkans in Croatia on April 7.