Austria pro-membership of Albania, Rama travels towards Vienna

Austria is one of the countries that has spoken more clearly on the opening of membership negotiations, but the meeting is expected to be used by Prime Minister Edi Rama for Vienna's help in lobbying on the issue to pessimistic countries.

Austrian Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz himself wants the start of negotiations with Albania and Macedonia as soon as possible, Tch reports.

Speaking to Austrian media, “Die Presse”, Kurz says this is necessary to avoid conflicts in the Western Balkan region.

If you want to avoid conflicts in our neighbours in the Western Balkans and help stabilise them, you must offer countries in the region a European perspective”, the conservative politician said.

Austria supports Serbia and Montenegro “progress on accession”. The EU is already holding accession negotiations with the two countries. “And with Albania and Macedonia we must open negotiations immediately”, Cuz said. The EU summit in June must decide, and the EU Commission supports this. In Germany, however, there are reserves in the CSU and CSU, says Die Presse.

EU governments had promised the Western Balkan countries, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia in only a general form the prospect of accession at the summit in Sofia.

Kurz also refers to French President Emmanuel Macron's statements, insisting that the most meal “be the prospects for membership, the greater are the possibilities for influence by countries like Turkey or Russia”.