EU Integration of the Western Balkans in the Interest of Vienna
Belfast (APA) – For the Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger of the liberal ruling party NEOS, the EU integration of the Western Balkans is in the economic and security policy interest of her country. This means growing markets, more planning security, and investment protection for Austrian companies. At the same time, the Western Balkan states benefit from investments and closer economic ties with the EU. On Wednesday and Thursday, Meinl-Reisinger will participate in the “Berlin Process” meeting in Belfast.
“This is a classic win-win situation – economically, politically, and socially,” emphasized the Foreign Minister according to the press release. Today, Austria is already one of the largest investors in the region, according to the Foreign Ministry. The focus is on promoting regional cooperation and the EU integration of the six Western Balkan states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia).
“The Berlin Process has proven to be an important driver for regional cooperation and EU integration of the Western Balkans. The elimination of roaming costs among each other and the inclusion of some Western Balkan countries in the European payment area (SEPA) show us the concrete benefits for citizens,” emphasized the Foreign Minister ahead of the meeting and congratulated Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, which have fully implemented their accession to the unified European payment area this week. This will make euro transfers to these countries easier, faster, and cheaper for citizens and businesses.
Increased Qualified Majorities in the Accession Process
In this context, the Foreign Minister called for making the EU accession process more efficient and realistic. The long duration of the accession process leads to frustration – both in the candidate countries and in the EU. “We risk losing credibility in the Western Balkans. This opens the door for other geopolitical powers. It is therefore wise to simplify procedures – without softening the accession requirements. We do not need unanimity in over 100 individual cases. Unanimity at the beginning, unanimity at the end, and when closing the chapters,” explained Meinl-Reisinger.
She clearly committed to increasingly using qualified majorities on technical issues of the accession process. “This is not a technical detail, but a signal: We take European integration seriously. It is about European interests – and thus also about Austrian interests,” said the Foreign Minister.
In addition to the economic benefits of EU integration of the Western Balkans, it is also about the security and stability of Europe. A rapid integration of the Western Balkan states is the best way to address security threats in the region and export stability.
Berlin Process since 2014
In the Berlin Process, initiated by Germany in 2014, the EU member states Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Poland, and Slovenia, as well as the United Kingdom, work together with the six Western Balkan states to bring the Western Balkan states closer to the European Union. (08.10.2025)
