EU enlargement
In 2022, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia joined the previous candidates from the Western Balkans and Türkiye in the group of EU accession candidates. Accession negotiations are currently underway with Serbia, Montenegro and, since July 2022, Albania and North Macedonia. Talks with Türkiye are currently suspended. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine and Moldova have the status of accession candidates, while Kosovo and Georgia are considered potential accession candidates.
Accession negotiations with Montenegro were opened on 29th June 2012. All 33 negotiation chapters were opened, with three chapters - science and research, education and culture, and external relations - provisionally closed. Further progress in the negotiations requires above all the fulfillment of interim criteria in chapters 23 and 24, which relate to the rule of law. Since 2020, however, the talks have been severely slowed down by political uncertainty in the country.
The EU accession process with Serbia began on 21st January 2014. In December 2021, Cluster 4 was opened, which comprises the chapters on transport policy, energy, trans-European networks, environment and climate change. A total of 22 out of 35 negotiation chapters have been opened so far, of which two chapters have been provisionally closed. In 2022, the process was slow, as EU member states are increasingly calling for Serbia to move closer to EU foreign policy. However, Serbia did not join the EU sanctions against Russia.
After a two-year blockade by Bulgaria, there was a breakthrough in the EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia in June 2022. The negotiations officially began with the first accession conference on 19th July 2022. A constitutional amendment regarding the recognition of Bulgarian and other minorities is still pending, which is why the accession process has stalled.
Albania also officially began its accession negotiations with the EU on 19th July 2022.
Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted its application to join the EU on 15th February 2016. In the 2022 enlargement package, the EU Commission recommended that the country be granted candidate status, provided it introduces reforms in eight priority areas - including democracy, the rule of law and the fight against corruption. The European Council confirmed the granting of candidate status on December 15th, 2022.
The Stabilization and Association Agreement with Kosovo entered into force on 1st April 2016. Kosovo's further rapprochement with the EU depends to a large extent on the normalization of relations with Serbia, progress on reforms and the attitude of the five EU member states that have not yet recognized Kosovo (Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Cyprus). Kosovo officially submitted its application for EU membership on 15th December 2022. Austria is committed to ensuring that this application is dealt with in accordance with the usual procedures. At the end of 2022, the EU Council and the European Parliament also reached an agreement on visa liberalization for Kosovo.
Accession negotiations between Türkiye and the EU have been ongoing since 2005. So far, only one chapter of the negotiations - science and research - has been provisionally concluded. Due to the political situation, the talks effectively came to a standstill in 2018. Since then, no new chapters have been opened and existing ones have not been negotiated further.
Ukraine submitted its application for EU membership on 28th February 2022, followed by the Republic of Moldova and Georgia on 3rd March of the same year. In June 2022, the European Commission presented an opinion in which it recommended granting candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, provided that both countries implement reforms in key areas such as the judiciary and the fight against corruption. The European Council confirmed this recommendation in June 2022, while Georgia was granted candidate status with twelve priority conditions, including overcoming political polarization and building functioning state institutions.
Although Georgia had only fully met three of these conditions by October 2023, the Commission nevertheless recommended granting it candidate status. The European Council. followed this recommendation on 14th December 2023. However, controversial measures, such as the planned transparency law, brought Georgia's accession process to a de facto standstill in June 2024.
Despite these setbacks, the integration of Ukraine and Moldova into the EU single market is continuing. In December 2023, the EU officially decided to open accession negotiations with both countries, which officially began on 25th June 2024.
In parallel to the enlargement strategy, the EU is promoting cooperation with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine within the framework of the Eastern Partnership. The aim is to deepen the political and economic integration of these countries with the EU. As part of this partnership, association agreements have already been concluded with te Republic of Moldova and Georgia (2016) and Ukraine (2017).
Added value for Austrian companies
Austria is one of the most important foreign investors in most countries of the Western Balkans. At EUR 6.3 billion, Austria's stock of active investments in 2023 was at similar level to active direct investments in Italy (EUR 6.7 billion). Over 45,000 people are directly employed by Austrian direct investments in the Western Balkan countries. Austria occupies a special position in the banking sector. Austrian companies are also successful in the insurance, energy, infrastructure and mobile communications sectors.
A positive trend can also be seen in exports to the Western Balkan countries. While Austria exported goods worth just under EUR 2 billion to the region in 2022, an increase of 6.9 % to over EUR 2.1 billion was recorded in 2023. Including the accession candidates mentioned at the beginning, exports increased by 11.4 % from EUR 4.4 billion to just under EUR 5 billion in 2023.
Additional information
Contact
Europe, ETC: EU-Erweiterung@bmaw.gv.at