During a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday, 4 December, Austrian Minister for Defence Klaudia Tanner called for accession negotiations with the Western Balkan states to be sped up.
This statement comes at a time when, on the occasion of the Western Balkans summit, EU27 leaders will meet with their counterparts from the countries of that region in Brussels on 13 December and when the issue of enlargement will also be on the agenda for the heads of state and government, meeting in the European Council, on 14 and 15 December.
“Accelerating the accession negotiations with the Western Balkan states is a clear priority for me before we talk about other possible accessions”, declared the Austrian minister.
These comments echo the European Commission’s recommendation on 8 November (see EUROPE 13288/2) to open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina as soon as “the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria” has been achieved, whereas it was proposing, without this condition, that negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova be opened (see EUROPE 13288/1).
The Austrian defence minister also urged the EU to “not lose sight” of its “immediate neighbourhood amidst all the crises in the world”. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)