Federal President Van der Bellen sets off on a four-day trip to the West Balkans on Sunday. He will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP), Minister of Justice Alma Zadic (Greens) and a large business delegation with representatives from around 30 local companies.
In Albania and North Macedonia, Van der Bellen will be received by his counterparts there and the heads of government. The Federal President also gives speeches to the parliaments of both countries.
“Door opener” in EU accession countries
According to the President’s Chancellery, the Federal President wants to be a “door opener” for domestic companies in the two EU candidate countries with which accession negotiations began last summer.
“The region offers enormous opportunities for Austria’s economy,” explained Van der Bellen in advance. At the same time, the trip is intended to show Austria’s support for the EU integration of the countries of the Western Balkans. Because: “It is important that in the EU – especially in challenging times like these – the Western Balkans are not forgotten. Austria is making sure that doesn’t happen,” stressed the Federal President.
