Salzburg. Franz Schausberger, chairman of the Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE), is pleased about the current push by nine EU states to devote more attention to the Western Balkans. The impression had already arisen that the EU expansion in the Western Balkans had dropped out of the European Union's agenda and fell asleep gently, explained Schausberger.

The Foreign Ministers of Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia call in a letter to the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, to hold a “strategic discussion” on the countries of the Western Balkans and their (EU) perspectives .

"The enlargement process in the Western Balkans must pick up speed again," said Schausberger. He also sees a geopolitical necessity in this: "Although the EU is receiving significantly more support and investment, other powers are pushing into the region. That is not in our pan-European regional interest! That is why the EU member state Bulgaria is called upon to urgently abandon its blockade against the start of negotiations with North Macedonia."

As part of the conference on the future of Europe, which has now started, Schausberger renews his demand that the six Western Balkan countries be included in this discussion process in a suitable manner. As future EU members, these states should be closely involved right from the start.

Schausberger, who was special advisor to the former enlargement commissioner in recent years and is now special advisor to the European Commission (budget commissioner Johannes Hahn), is urging urgent and far-reaching reforms in the six Western Balkan states: It is shown that a lack of prospects and reform fatigue is spreading.

Schausberger also advises the six Southeast European countries to involve their regions, cities and municipalities much more closely in the reform process. Decentralization and subsidiarity are cornerstones of European unification, since the majority of EU legislation must be implemented at the regional and local level. That is why the EU must insist on this more than before in the enlargement countries.

Motivated regions and municipalities equipped with the necessary know-how would strengthen the future EU member states as a whole.