Kurz: Austria Will Push for Start of Negotiations with Macedonia

“Austria fully supports the European path of the entire Western Balkans and will strive to start accession negotiations with Macedonia and Albania in the first half of this year. It is in our strategic interest to bring the region into the EU as soon as possible,” stated Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in an interview with the February issue of the Belgrade magazine CorD. He expressed particular regret that Macedonia, as an “exemplary candidate”, has not yet opened accession negotiations with the EU. He also said that Austria remains a friend of the Western Balkans even in times of crisis and that supporting the region in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic is its top priority. He recalled that Austria had recently pledged 2.4 million euros for the COVAX initiative, while the EU had decided to make 70 million euros available for vaccines in the Western Balkans.