Germany, Austria for EU membership acceleration of Western Balkans

“Every further delay makes the Western Balkans vulnerable and open to influence by a third party”, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Berlin on Thursday (31.03) at the meeting with Austrian counterpart Carl Nehammer. “We don't just need speeches about potential European prospects, but now we have to do this”, Nehammer stressed. Unless rapid progress is made, this region can become an influential area of Russia and China.

In the Western Balkans Albania, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia have candidate status for EU membership, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are as candidates “potential” still far from membership. With Albania and Northern Macedonia membership talks should have started long ago, but their opening has repeatedly failed to resist the different EU member states.

Social Democrat Angela Merkel, who has been committed for years to EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, demanded that talks with these two countries finally begin. “Even we in the EU must advance institutional reforms, to be able to expand the EU”, Scholz added.

Nehammer referred to the great <x0 points of influence of the Russian Federation” in the Western Balkans. Given the “geostrategic interest” is important and fair, so that our true “ (...) can get in motion and really offer people the fruitful perspective”. For that, he said, he would commit to convincing “ceptics” within the EU. The clear statement, which the Western Balkans belong to Europe, now also has to live”, Nehammer said. / DW