Who is Austria's new Chancellor, his policy towards Western Balkans

Schallenberg did not even have the position of the chief of diplomacy on his life plans, as he said several times, and he certainly did not even dream that he could be a Chancellor.

This diplomat has had an amazing career in recent years, although, as he has repeatedly said, he did not want to.

So far, Schallenberg has not taken up much with daily politics, but he has in some cases shown that he belongs to conservatives when it comes to politics against illegal immigrants.

He drew public attention several months ago by raising the Israeli flag at the ministry headquarters he heads in response to attacks on Israeli cities after Israel attacked Gaza.

Rich Career

Schallenberg is not a member of the Austrian People's Party (OVP), which brought him into government.

His father was Austrian ambassador to several countries, and later Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He grew up in India, Spain, and France, and was born in Bern. He studied justice in Vienna and Paris, and then European justice at the European College in Belgium.

He gained his first diplomatic experience serving at the Austrian Mission Law Department in the EU, and with his return he became a spokesman for former Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, and later his successor Michael Spindelegger, who is considered a grey entity in OVP.

When Kurz became foreign minister, he promoted him to the head of the Foreign Policy Planning Department.

And in negotiations on creating a coalition after the elections in 2017, Kurz relied on it, so he pulled it into his cabinet in the position of Chief of Staff for Strategy and Planning.

Schallenberg became minister after the collapse of the first Kurz government, following the Ibiza case, in which the then ruling party of the Freedom Party (FPO) coalition was found.

He took the position of diplomacy chief in the expert, transitional government, and remained in that position even after the new government was formed, this time with the Green.

Politics Toward the Western Balkans

Schallenberg will now have to officially take the lead and implement his diplomatic experience in his daily work with the coalition partner.

When it comes to the Western Balkans, Schallenberg has long been a clear supporter of EU enlargement.

He said on several occasions this year that “2021 is the year that should not be lost, like the previous one in terms of bringing the Western Balkans closer to the EU”.

Like Kurz, he sees the Western Balkans as an immediate neighbour, whose EU integration would bring stability and security to Europe.

As Chancellor, it is expected to continue to contribute to EU enlargement, but with insistence on meeting the conditions on both sides.