The European Union absolutely does not support the redrawing of borders in the Western Balkans, the European Commission official said in response to an unofficial diplomatic note proposing to divide Bosnia and unite Kosovo with Albania.

The document, which was leaked to Reuters and circulated to EU officials, proposes annexing parts of Bosnia to Serbia and Croatia to help integrate the region into the EU.

This alarmed the Bosnians, who saw the document as a threat to their country's territorial unity.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the document, which no country officially claimed.

Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania, and Kosovo also hope to become EU members.

The EU says they must first resolve their conflicts and push forward democratic reforms before they can join.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday after talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels that the EU wants to continue to see positive changes in the rule of law in Serbia through the accession negotiations. They discussed the negotiations between Belgrade and Kosovo.

The leaders of North Macedonia and Kosovo are also due to arrive in Brussels this week.

Von der Leyen said the EU will support the construction of a railway between Belgrade and North Macedonia, hopes for a formal start of membership negotiations.