Austria for qualified majority in the EU accession process
Skopje/Prishtina (APA) – The Austrian Minister for Europe Claudia Plakolm held a working meeting in Skopje with the North Macedonian Minister for Europe Orhan Murtezani and the Slovenian State Secretary for Europe Neva Grašič. “Austria will advocate for a qualified majority in the accession process,” emphasized Plakolm’s spokesperson on Monday to APA. “For over 20 years, we have been hanging on the promise that North Macedonia will become part of the EU,” Plakolm stated.
The politician from the conservative ruling party ÖVP further pointed out that Austria and North Macedonia are connected by close economic and human relations. More than 27,000 North Macedonians have found a new home in Austria, and at the same time, Austria is the largest investor in North Macedonia. “One only has to look at the map to see that a large piece is missing in the middle of Europe (in the European Union, note), and that is the countries of the Western Balkans.”
Further travel to Kosovo
After the meeting with her counterpart, Plakolm planned a one-on-one discussion with Foreign Minister Timčo Mucunski. The visit in Skopje will conclude with a company visit to the energy provider EVN Makedonija (a subsidiary of the Austrian EVN Group), which will also be attended by the energy minister of the host country, Sanja Bozhinovska. Afterwards, they will continue by car to the capital of Kosovo, Prishtina. The Slovenian State Secretary for Europe will also accompany the Austrian minister there. They will start with a working meeting with Besnik Bislimi, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo.
Plakolm will also visit an initiative of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) in Lipjan. There, the ADA supports particularly disadvantaged youth. Following that, an exchange with the head of the EU rule of law mission EULEX, Giovanni Pietro Barbano, is planned, after which there will be a meeting with President Vjosa Osmani. Plakolm will also meet representatives of Austrian companies and civil society. After a short stop in Vienna, the minister will travel on Tuesday to the Montenegrin capital Podgorica, making it the third country in her six-country tour in six days.
Government and population at odds
With her trip, Plakolm follows in the footsteps of former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), who, in early 2016, also visited all EU candidate countries of the Western Balkans in six days as Foreign Minister. Ten years later, the same states are still waiting for EU membership, but at least two of them – Montenegro and Albania – can hope for full membership before 2030. For the other four, this is still a distant prospect for various reasons.
The Austrian government is one of the strongest advocates for a rapid EU membership of the Western Balkan states, but it also has to do some convincing at home. The Austrian population views EU enlargement with particular skepticism compared to other European countries. (6.10.2025)
